Rose Van Thyn
Rozette Van Thyn, lovingly known as "Rose", was a Holocaust survivor and beloved member of the Shreveport community. She survived the death camp Auschwitz for three years until she was liberated in 1945 by American soldiers.
Rose came to Shreveport and worked as a professional seamstress while dedicating three decades to teaching others all over northern Louisiana about the Holocaust. In 2002, Centenary College awarded her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters for her work in the community.
Rose and her husband Louis Van Thyn received many awards and were recognized for their commitment to community education and civic support. Their son, Nico Van Thyn, who they raised here in Shreveport, published a book about his parents in 2016 entitled "Survivors: 62511, 70726: Two Holocaust stories, from Amsterdam to Auschwitz to America". He also wrote many blog posts which can be found on this website here.
We honor Rose's dedication to educating North Louisiana of the atrocities of the Holocaust with this website. We hope this will serve as a tribute to not only Rose, Louis, and their family, but also to all of the six-million Jews and five-million non-Jews who were senselessly taken from this world during the Holocaust. Please have a look around, read Rose's words, hear her voice, and watch her interviews. Rose died on June 27th, 2010 but her story and her legacy will forever live on in our hearts.