Malka “Mala” Zimetbaum

Despite the odds, one woman refused to let the Nazis decide her fate.

Malka “Mala” Zimetbaum was born on Jan. 26, 1918 in Brzesko, Poland. Her family later moved to Antwerp, Belgium, arriving on Nov. 17, 1926.

By all accounts, Mala was a brilliant student, notably in languages and mathematics. She had to drop out of school because her father, who worked in a diamond factory became blind. Mala began…