“Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your god will be my God." ~ Ruth 1:16
James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic tells a fictional
story of two young lovers who meet on the ship’s ill-fated voyage. Perhaps no
scene in the movie is more haunting than the elderly couple who wait quietly
together as the cold, dark waters of the North Atlantic swallow them.
Although a moment like this may seem even too “cheesy” for
Hollywood, it was actually based on the story of an American immigrant couple
named Isidor and Ida Straus.
Bavarian-born Isador was both a politician and co-owner of
Macy’s department store. The couple raised seven children, which kept Ida
plenty busy.
The 1st Class ticketholders boarded in
Southampton, accompanied by Isidor’s butler and Ida’s maid. Four days into the
luxury liner’s maiden crossing, in calm seas under a moonlit sky, the largest ocean
liner in service at the time sideswiped an iceberg. The resulting
football-field-sized gash below the ship’s waterline condemned the crew and
passengers to almost certain death.
Various survivor interviews confirm that when evacuations
began on that fateful night of April 15, 1912, Ida Straus and her husband were
standing on the upper deck by Lifeboat 8. Due to his wealth and status, Isador
was offered a spot in one of the
first boats.
He adamantly refused, stating: “I will not go before the women
and children.”
His wife Ida was then persuaded to board a lifeboat
instead. In the “Book of Ruth’s” spirit, she too declined by addressing her
husband: “We’ve lived together for many years. Where you go, I go.”
The couple made sure that Ida’s maid, Ellen Bird, secured a
lifeboat spot. Ida gave the shivering woman her long mink fur coat to keep her
warm. “I’ll no longer be needing it,” she declared.
Reliable witnesses later recounted seeing the Strauss’
washed away, arm in arm, as the ship took its fateful plunge to the sea bottom.
More than 1,500 lives perished – mostly crew and steerage.
Isador’s frozen body was later recovered, but Mrs. Straus’s
body was not.
Amidst the noise surrounding the deaths of numerous distinguished
gentlemen, Ida’s sacrifice was mostly overshadowed. Yet, it stood as a powerful
contrast to the era’s frequent and scandalous divorces among the wealthy class.
She was praised for her love and devotion, highlighting the rarity of such honorable
and unwavering commitment.
Their steadfast love
and devotion amidst the tragedy serve as a timeless reminder of the power of a
bond forged through a lifetime of shared experiences. On their shared monument,
the loyal Jewish couple’s love is memorialized with King Soloman’s timeless
biblical words:
“Many waters cannot quench love – neither can the floods
drown it.” (Song of Songs 8:7)
Loving and eternal God, thank You for the
gift of marriage and for being the Source of all love. We pray that our
marriages lead to an amplification of Your name. Help us love our partners as
Christ loved the church. Amen
