Couple vows to die together in Titanic tragedy

Isidor Straus had the opportunity to board a lifeboat when the Titanic tragedy occurred, but she decided to stay on the ship because she did not want to be away from her husband.

Isidor Straus was of Jewish descent born in Germany in 1845 and immigrated to America in 1854. Ida, born Rosalie Ida Blun, was also born in Germany in 1849 and moved to America with her family later.

At the time of the Titanic's sinking, Isidor was 67 and Ida was 63. They were returning to New York after visiting Germany and spending the winter in Europe. They were accompanied by their two servants, Ellen Bird and John Farthing.

The Straus family was quite wealthy. In 1896, Isidor and his brother Nathan acquired full ownership of the Macy's retail chain. Before that, Isidor had been a New York congressman from 1894 to 1895. He also focused on philanthropy.

Isidor married Ida in 1871. They had seven children, one of whom died in infancy. Friends of the Straus said they were more loving and closer than any other couple they knew. Isidor and Ida wrote to each other every day when they were apart.

"They often held hands and hugged each other, which was not common among people of status and wealth in their time," Paul Kurzman, the great-grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Isidor, shared in 2017.

Isidor Straus and his wife Ida. Photo: Topical Press Agency

On April 14, 1912, four days after beginning its journey to New York City, the Titanic struck an iceberg south of Newfoundland, Canada. The ship sank in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912. Of the approximately 2,200 people on board, just over 700 survived.

Ellen Bird, Ida's maid, was among the survivors. Bird recounted their final moments in detail. When Ida and Isidor went aboard, only women and children were allowed to board the lifeboats.

"Ida initially got into the lifeboat, thinking that her husband Isidor would follow. But when he didn't, she became very worried. The ship's officer in charge of lowering the lifeboat said, 'Mr. Straus, you are an old man and we all know you. Of course you can get into the lifeboat with your wife,'" Kurzman recounted the maid's account.

However, Mr Isidor said "I will not go up until I see all the women and children on board are safe and sound". Mrs Ida then refused to get into the lifeboat without her husband. "I will not separate my husband. We have lived together and we will die together", she said.

The last time witnesses saw the Strauss, the elderly couple were standing hand in hand on the deck of the ship. Many witnesses called it “the most dramatic moment of love.” “Isidor put his arms around Ida. Then a huge wave came over the port side of the ship and swept them both into the sea,” Kuzman said.

Ida had given the maid her long mink coat. "I don't need it anymore. Take it with you to the lifeboat to keep you warm until you're rescued," she said.

Bird later attempted to return the coat to the Straus family, but they refused to accept it.

The Straus family mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery, New York, USA. Photo: Reuters

Isidor's body was later found, but Ida's was not. At the Straus mausoleum in New York's Woodlawn Cemetery, a memorial reads "the waters of the sea could not quench their love, nor could the mighty waves drown it."

Since Ida's body was not found, the Straus family collected water from the North Atlantic and placed it in a jar next to her husband's body.

Their final moments have inspired many filmmakers over the years, such as the 1953 film Titanic , the 1958 film A Night to Remember , and the musical Titanic .

In James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster Titanic , Straus' story inspired the scene of the elderly couple embracing in their cabin and vowing to die together as the ship sinks.

The scene in Titanic was based on Ida and Isidor Straus. Photo: Paramount Pictures

Their love story also inspired the 2012 book A Titanic Love Story: Ida and Isidor Straus by June Hall McCash. They are also famous in the Jewish-American community for the song The Titanic's Disaster about their story.

There are also several memorials to the Strauses throughout New York City, including in Manhattan's Straus Park, where a fountain reads "they loved and were happy while they lived, and till death they were not parted."

A plaque at Macy's flagship store also paid tribute to the Straus couple. At the time of their deaths, Macy's employees donated money to design a plaque that read "their lives were beautiful and their deaths were glorious."

Thanh Tam (According to Insider )

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