Welcome
Thank you for visiting my website. My name is Rudolf Ruder, and I am the author of The Long Journey to Cleveland. This book is both a memoir and a tribute to my parents, whose lives were shaped on opposite sides of World War II.
My father, Simon, was a Jewish tailor from Lvov, Poland. He endured years in some of the most brutal concentration camps—including Auschwitz and Dachau—yet managed to survive. My mother, Maria, grew up in Bavaria, where she was part of the Hitler Youth and lived through Allied bombings and wartime scarcity.
Their paths should never have crossed, and yet they did. Against every expectation, they met, married, and eventually built a new life in Cleveland, Ohio, raising a family far from the shadows of war.
Why I Wrote This Book
For many years, my parents shared little about their past. As I grew older, I realized how important it was to preserve their story—not only for my family, but for history. This book weaves together family memories, original documents, survivor accounts, and archival records to paint a picture of what they endured and how they found each other.
I wanted to show not just the suffering, but also the resilience. It’s a story about faith, survival, and love in the aftermath of hate.
What Readers Will Discover
- A first-hand look at Jewish life in prewar Poland and the devastating impact of the Holocaust.
- The world of a young German girl growing up in Nazi Germany, shaped by propaganda and fear.
- How two people from opposite sides of history came together to build a future.
- The journey of Holocaust survivors and refugees finding a home in America.
A Personal Invitation
This is not a history textbook. It is a deeply personal story about real people who endured the unimaginable and still found a way forward. My hope is that readers will feel the humanity behind the history and carry it with them.
If you have ever sought a book that combines history, memory, and hope, The Long Journey to Cleveland is for you.
📖 Order your copy of The Long Journey to Cleveland today and step into a story that should never be forgotten.
