Mala Zimetbaum was a Jewess who lived in Antwerp. In July 1942 she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
During her imprisonment she stood out as a heroic woman who helped her fellow prisoners and saved many from the gas chambers.
In June 1944 she and Polish political prisoner Edek Galiński escaped from the concentration camp, but a few weeks later she was arrested again.
Although she was tortured, she never revealed the names of the other prisoners who had helped her with the escape.
Mala and Edek were sentenced to death not much later.
Edek was able to commit suicide before the execution, but Mala was publicly executed in front of all other prisoners. This was to set an example, hoping to curb the increasing number of escape attempts.
She left a big impression on many prisoners and her story is still told today!