Ida Straus

Ida Straus
Isidor and Ida Straus
Born	Rosalie Ida Blun (1849-02-06)February 6, 1849 Worms, Germany
Died	April 15, 1912(1912-04-15) (aged 63) RMS Titanic, Atlantic Ocean
Spouse(s)	Isidor Straus (1871–1912)

Ida Straus, born Rosalie Ida Blun (February 6, 1849 – April 15, 1912) was an American homemaker and wife of the co-owner of the Macy's department store. She and her husband Isidor died on board the RMS Titanic.

Early life

Rosalie Ida Blun was born in 1849 in Worms, Germany to Nathan Blun (1815–1879) and his wife Wilhelmine "Mindel" Freudenberg (1814–1868). She was the fifth of seven children including Amanda (1839–1907), Elias Nathan (1842–1878), Louis (1843–1927), Augusta Carolina (1845–1905), Moritz (1850–1858) and Abraham Blun (1853–1881). She emigrated to the United States with her family.

In 1871, Ida Blun married Isador Straus (1845–1912), a German-American businessman. She and Isador had seven children:

• Jesse Isador Straus (1872–1936) who married Irma Nathan (1877–1970)
• Clarence Elias Straus (1874–1876) who died in infancy
• Percy Selden Straus (1876–1944) who married Edith Abraham (1882–1957)
• Sara Straus (1878 –1960) who married Dr. Alfred Fabian Hess (1875–1933)
• Minnie Straus (1880–1940) who married Dr. Richard Weil (1876–1917)
• Herbert Nathan Straus (1881–1933) who married Therese Kuhn (1884–1977)
• Vivian Straus (1886–1974) who married Dr. Herbert Adolph Scheftel (1875–1914) and George Dixon, Jr. (1891–1956)

The couple was considered especially close by their friends and family; when Isidor was forced to travel as part of his duties as a U.S. Representative for New York or as co-owner of Macy's, they exchanged letters daily.

Ida spent the winter in Europe with her beloved husband Isidor. They originally planned to return home on a different ship but there was a coal strike in England and all the coal was being diverted to Titanic. That is why they were on the Titanic

Death and legacy

The Titanic's Disaster, published in 1912

On the night of the sinking, Isidor and Ida Straus were seen standing near Lifeboat No. 8 in the company of Mrs. Straus's maid, Ellen Bird. Although the officer in charge of the lifeboat was willing to allow the elderly couple to board the lifeboat with Miss Bird, Isidor Straus refused to go so as long as there were women and children still remaining on the ship. He urged his wife to board, but she refused, saying, "We have lived together for many years. Where you go, I go." Her words were witnessed by those already in Lifeboat No. 8 as well as many others who were on the boat deck at the time. Isidor and Ida were last seen standing arm in arm on the deck.

When the survivors of the disaster arrived in New York City aboard the RMS Carpathia, many, including Ellen Bird, told reporters of Mrs. Straus's loyalty and fidelity to her husband. Her story struck a chord with people around the world. Rabbis spoke to their congregations about her sacrifice; articles in Yiddish and German-language newspapers extolled her courage; a popular song featuring the story of Ida Straus, "The Titanic's Disaster", became popular among Jewish-Americans.

Although Isidor's body was recovered, Ida's body was not. A cenotaph at the Straus Mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx is dedicated to Isidor and Ida together. Its inscription reads: "Many waters cannot quench love - neither can the floods drown it." (Canticles 8:7)

Portrayals

• Helen Van Tuyl (1953) (Titanic)
• Helen Misener (1958) (A Night to Remember)
• Nancy Nevinson (1979) (S.O.S. Titanic) (TV movie)
• Janie Woods-Morris (1996) (Titanic) (TV miniseries)
• Elsa Raven (1997) (Titanic)
• Alma Cuervo (1997) (Titanic) (Broadway Musical) When Ida decided to stay with her husband, they sang the song "Still."

Memorials

106th Street memorial

There are four memorials to Isidor and Ida Straus in their adopted home of New York City.

• A memorial plaque was located in a 34th Street entrance to Macy's Department Store in Manhattan until approximately 2005 when the entrance was closed. There are plans underway to reconstruct that entrance and to hold a rededication ceremony in late 2013.
• The Isidor and Ida Straus Memorial is located in Straus Park at the intersection of Broadway and West End Avenue at W. 106th Street (Duke Ellington Boulevard) in Manhattan.
• New York City public school P.S. 198 in Manhattan is also named after the Strauses.
• Isidor Straus's remains were recovered by the CS Mackay-Bennett and were buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. His gravestone also serves as a cenotaph for his wife.

External links and references

• Straus Memorial on Titanic-Titanic.com
• Encyclopedia Titanica Biography of Ida Straus
• Straus article at JewishEncyclopedia.com
• Judaic Treasures of the Library of Congress – includes information on The Titanic's Disaster sheet music
• Straus Historical Society
• Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy, by John P. Eaton and Charles A. Haas, W.W. Newton & Company, 2nd edition 1995 ISBN 0-393-03697-9