 Irina Herrnstadt akaberekwa panguva yehondo yenyika yechipiri muMoscow, uko baba vake vechiJudha vakaberekerwa muGermany, gweta rakashandura mutori wenhau Rudolf Herrnstadt 1903-1966 vakanga vatiza kubva kuWarsaw mushure mekupinda kwevaviri muPoland muna September 1939. Moscow yakanga iri muhondo apo Irina akaberekwa. Upenyu hwaiva hworwisano yokurarama uye kwakanga kune bedzi varwi nemotokari dzechiuto mumigwagwa. Guta racho rakanga rabviswa nokuda kwokupinda kweGermany. Vanhu bedzi vaionekwa sevanokosha nokuda kwebasa rehondo vakanga vagara muguta. Baba vake vakanga vari mupepeti-mukuru wepepanhau romutauro wechiGermany rakagadzirirwa vasungwa vehondo. Izvozvo zvaikosha nokuda kwehondo, saka mhuri yekwaHerrnstadts yakanga yasara shure apo guta rakanga rabudiswa. Yaiva muMoscow kuti Rudolf Herrnstadt akanga asangana naValentina Veloyants Валентина Велоянца, amai vaIrina: aida kutora shamwari yake itsva kutamba asi iye aisagona kutamba. Mwana wacho aigara achiudzwa, gare gare, kuti apo vabereki vake vakasangana amai vake vakanga vari nyanzvi yechiGermany, vakabva kuSiberia. Muna 1945 mhuri yakadzoserwa kuGermany muna Kubvumbi Chivabvu 1945, nekukurumidza kupfuura vazhinji vezviuru zvezviuru zvevapoteri vezvematongerwo enyika vekuGerman vakanga vatizira kuMoscow kubva kuGermany mushure me1933: izvi zvaive nekuti baba vake vakasarudzwa kuve nhengo ye30-murume kuvaka nyika Ulbricht Boka, kunyangwe hazvo panguva yekupedzisira zita rake rakabviswa kubva pane runyorwa nekuda kwechimiro chake chechiJudha. Kunyange zvakadaro vakagara mune zvakanga zvasaraweBerlin, anogara muchikamu ichocho cheguta chinosanganisirwa munharaunda yeSoviet yekugara: kusvikira muna 1953, baba vake vakazvivakira basa rakabudirira semutori wenhau-wezvematongerwo enyika. 