Torch, Summer 1994

Tom's Storq Persecution of the Jews got in high gear in Hungary in the late thirties. Hungary sided with Hitler's Germany in order to recapture territories lost at the end of World War I. Eventually we had to wear a yellow star, which I wore with pride but which resulted in insults wherever we went. It was not uncommon to be beaten up, books torn by my Gentile schoolmates on the way home. Posters appeared on the streets showing a suffering Christ on the cross, being stabbed by a fat Jew with a yellow star on his business suit and a gleeful grin on his face as Christ's blood dropped on the rosy cheeks of a little girl in Hungarian native dress as she looked up to Jesus. The inscription read, "They killed Him." This was a terrible blow to my experience with fine Christians (non-Jews) in my own family as they married several of my aunts and uncles. I was taught to respect the beliefs of others, but the notion that we were blamed for acts committed 2000 years ago turned me against Hungary and Christianity, in spite of former strong patriotism and family ties. When the rumor went around that if we changed our religion to Christianity we may be spared from the death camps, I refused without hesitation. My mother, on the other hand, joined in with a few Jewish ladies to learn about Christianity– just in case. Their teacher was Mary Hajos, wife of a Jewish executive, both of them having become Christians years before. The sessions were in our home and whenever Mary started out, my uncle and I started to fix things in order to make noise and aggravate Mary. To our surprise and disappointment, Mary did not appear offended and never omitted Photo credit: Barbara Goldschmied; Courtesy of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) to knock at our door and thank us for our hospitality before she left. We just could not figure out what made her so loving after repeated rudeness on our part. Towards the summer, most Jews from places except Budapest were on their way to the death camps, jammed into cattle wagons. In Budapest, the rounding up of Je s was less obvious o appease personnel ·n local mbassies of neutr nations. Neve theless, the raids s rted and Jews were herded into bric factories prior to being marched foot toward Germany with the ai · g ones shot on the spot. One raid sa my mother eing taken, but she anaged to hitle unde a pile of bricks and slipped out during the night wo days later. While she was gone my 80 year old grandfather took an overdose of sleeping pills, leaving me alone at age 12 in our apartme t. Another raid include child n under 12. As the Hunganan Nazis (as bad or worse than the German ones) started to round up the children and the elderly left in the house, our courageous Gentile neighbors told me to hide in the· apartment. They suggested that I hide under a bed, which I did but crawled out because I worried that I would be found out and killed in this obviously defiant situat-i n. So I suggested that I it on the toilet pretending o fiave an upset stoma hinde ing my departure. oon the Nazis ("Arrow Cro s Men" in Hungary) knoc ed at the door and searched he place. I will never forget t e sound of their heavy steps as ey walked by the toilet on their wa in and out. It turned out that they Had thrust their bayonette guns under each bed to assure t at no one was liiding there ithout giving a thoug t t e possibility of someone hiding m the bathroom. T Lord protected me even before su . endered to Him. Next, we were told to into a designated area (a gh o) and pretty much leave everythin ehind. Exceptions were those o managed to obtain ' etters of protection" from he govern ents of Swede Switzerland, Portugal, or th Vatican governments w. ich the Nazis favored due to t eir own intere ts. Somehow m0ttier obtained Swis papers an so we avoided the gbe to and moved into a "Swiss House" sporting the Swiss flag. In these days, anarc y set in and no protection carrie sufficient authority. The Arrow Cross Gang picke a few houses, raided them Torch 11