They could have been incarcerated, captured, and forced to live in the most inhumane concentration camps known to history: Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, Dachau, and Flossenberg. They could have become wisps of smoke, vanished and unheard of, had it not been for a strong endurance, determination, and hope.

Senior Rachel Watts’s great-grandparents, Morris and Barbara Strom, were 30 years old when they fled their once beautiful country, then marred with the scars of the Swastika. Both were born in 1908 and raised in Austria. They grew up with Jewish traditions including Hanukkah, Shabbat, and kosher delights.  The young couple eagerly looked forward to a peaceful future.

Then came March 12, 1938.  The day Hitler declared an Anschluss, or union, between Austria and Germany. The day the Strom’s dreams were demolished underneath the feet of the cheering crowds welcoming Hitler. The day all strict rules established to control Jews in Germany were passed into Austria. The military needed to enforce these rules included not only the Germans, but the Russians as well.

The oppression of Jews did not stop them from continuing on with their lives, though. How much worse could it get? Jews were not able to sell goods, and children were not able to go to school. They could manage.

With this gruesome invitation added on to their own oppression, they decided it was time to flee, and quickly, while Germans were still in favor of Jewish emigration. With their minds made up, they entrusted their lives to a pair of $30 tickets en route to “The Land of Opportunity.” They departed just before World War II was declared in 1939.

Departing from a country about to collapse should have filled the Stroms with relief; instead, it filled them with deep sorrow. The Stroms were forced to leave behind their loving families and dear friends. The house they lived in was nothing more than a husk when they finished packing their entire lives into their small suitcases.

The process of emigration quickly eliminated their sorrows, though. The void was hastily replaced with apprehension. Their host country, the United States, demanded they answer 31 basic questions, like gender, age, and marital status, and asked if they had at least $25 with them before letting them step on board their ship. The Stroms then underwent rapid medical examinations and sloppy vaccinations. With shots still stinging, they were led to the lower decks, where all sunlight was blocked. They were encased in a black coffin, shielded from seeing what fate would befall them.

The chaos of boarding was only the tip of the iceberg. Below deck, cleanliness became green vapors of stench. Food was handed out in inadequate portions and at odd intervals. Sickness was rampant. The worst part was that the morbid conditions lasted 40 days. When Lady Liberty finally came into view on the horizon, the Strom’s joy could hardly be contained. They made it. Their voyage was over, and they were finally safe.

Their hopes were soon crushed when they were told America had taken in too many Jewish refugees. They could not raise the quota any higher than 20,000, a number fairly low for United States immigration policies. A vast majority of Americans were opposed to admitting large numbers of Jewish refugees into their homeland.

Where the Stroms went next was beyond imagination and courage. They refused to return to their damaged country, so they rerouted to Argentina. Back beneath the hellish coffin below decks, they endured another 40 days. Argentina was in favor of the Axis powers, so allowing European immigrants onto their land was not as limited as it was in most countries.

After months of enduring a black hell and a roller coaster of emotions, the Stroms were finally able to settle in the capital of Argentina, Beunas Aires. They lived there for 25 years, learning a brand new culture, before moving to Illinois, where the U.S. finally accepted them.

Now, 75 years later, Rachel Watts is here, listening to the story of her great-grandparent’s fantastic voyage with a look of wonder and pride on her face.

“I think it is very brave and courageous of them to go to a new country. I would be so lost if I were in their situation,” said Watts.