Anna Steinbach

Born: December 23, 1934, Buchten, Limburg, Netherlands

Anna Maria, who was also called Settela, grew up in a large family with eight brothers and sisters in the Netherlands. The Steinbachs were Sinti, nomadic people who lived in wagons and moved from village to village looking for work. The Sinti and Roma tribes of the Romani were looked down upon by many people. They were known as "gypsies," which is a derogatory and insulting word.

In Germany, the Nazis were passing laws against the Romani. They were stripped of their German citizenship. They were forced to get operations that would prevent them from ever having children. They were rounded up and locked in concentration camps. In 1940, the Nazis invaded the Netherlands.

Over time, the Sinti and Roma in the Netherlands were rounded up and taken concentration camps. In May 1944, Settela and her family were labeled as "gypsies" and forced to board a train headed to Auschwitz. A Nazi filmed Settela looking out from the train that was headed to the concentration camp. They were put in a special section of the camp for Sinti and Roma people. Dr. Josef Mengele performed horrible experiments on many twins and children in this section. Settele and her family were probably gassed to death on the night of August 2-3, 1944.