ヘレン・ジョナス＝ローゼンツヴァイク

1942年、シュテルンリヒトと彼女の家族はクラクフ・ゲットーから強制移送され、強制収容所に送られた。彼女の父親はベウジェツ絶滅収容所で亡くなった。彼女と母親、そして2人の姉妹は、強制労働収容所であるクラクフ＝プワシュフに送られた。

プワシュフ収容所に収容されて3日目、シュテルンリヒトが兵舎で窓拭きをしていると、収容所長のゲートが部屋に入ってきた。ゲートは彼女の仕事ぶりを褒め、収容所の敷地内にある自分の別荘に行って家政婦として働くように命じた。^{[ 4 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ]}

She moved from the barracks to Göth's residence, where she was forced to work as a maid. She shared a room in the basement with another woman, Helen Hirsch (portrayed in the novel Schindler's Ark and its film adaptation Schindler's List), who was also forced to work for Göth. The two women shared the household duties at the commandant's home for the next two years, where they lived in constant fear for their lives.^[2]

While working for Göth, Sternlicht saw his notorious sadism firsthand.^[9] She said that he would shoot prisoners from the balcony of his villa,^[8] and she saw him murder several people and order the deaths of many more. He also beat her. She said that while Göth as depicted in Schindler's List appeared to be interested romantically in his maid, he was not attracted to her in real life.^[7]

She later recalled that shortly after she moved to Göth's home, she saw him suddenly, and without provocation, shoot dead a young Jewish man who worked for him as a valet.^[2] During this period Sternlicht had a boyfriend at the camp, Adam Sztab, who was part of a resistance group inside the camp. She stole some papers from Göth that she gave to Sztab. Göth was told of Sztab's activities by a guard. Göth shot Sztab to death within earshot of Sternlicht, and she was certain that he would kill her too, but he never mentioned it to her. Göth had Sztab's body hung publicly for other prisoners to see, along with a warning about trying to escape.^[7]

Oskar Schindler was a frequent guest at Göth's home and he often had encouraging words for Sternlicht, who recalled his saying to her, "Remember the people in Egypt? They were freed. So you will be, too."^[7] After Göth's arrest for embezzling Jewish property from the German government, she later recalled, "Like magic, all of a sudden the doorbell rings – Schindler is standing there in his coat and saying, 'You're coming with me'". Schindler, who saved about 1,200 Jews from Auschwitz by claiming he needed them to work in his factory, added Sternlicht and her sisters, Bronisława and Sydonia, to his list of workers who later became known as the Schindlerjuden.^[10] By that time, their mother had died from pneumonia due to the poor conditions at the camp.^[7]

1944年末、赤軍がクラクフに迫ると、プワシュフ収容所は閉鎖され、収容者はアウシュヴィッツのような絶滅収容所を含むポーランド各地の収容所に送られた。シンドラーは、クラクフにいた労働者を使ってチェコ保護領のブルニェネツに軍需工場を開設する計画を立てた。シンドラーのリストに載っていた男性たちは列車で無事にブルニェネツへ向かったが、シュテルンリヒトとその姉妹を含むシンドラーの女性労働者300人はアウシュヴィッツに送られた。シンドラーによる数週間の交渉と賄賂の後、女性たちもブルニェネツに送られた。シュテルンリヒトとその姉妹は、1945年5月に赤軍によって解放されるまで、シンドラーの収容所の比較的安全な場所で残りの戦争を過ごした。^{[ 4 ]}

戦後、シュテルンリヒトはクラクフで行われたアモン・ゲートの裁判で彼に不利な証言をし、ゲートは死刑判決を受け処刑された。彼女は解放の2日後にジョセフ・ヨナスと出会い、彼と結婚し、1946年に家族とともにアメリカ合衆国に移住した。^{[ 4 ]}