Appr. 550,000 Hungarian Jews were killed in the Holocaust, most were transported to Auschwitz over a 2 month period (May-July 1944), 1000s of others were killed in the last days of the War by Hungarian paramilitary as Soviet troops battled Axis troops in the City of Budapest. Laszlo Balazs’ father, stepmother, brother, all aunts->killed, Eva Rado’s father, mother killed. They married in Montreal, Canada in 1953 and had 3 children, Edward, Stephen and Thomas
Transcript
Appr. 550,000 Hungarian Jews were killed in the Holocaust, most were transported to Auschwitz over a 2 month period (May-July 1944), 1000s of others were killed in the last days of the War by Hungarian paramilitary as
Soviet troops battled Axis troops in the City of Budapest. Laszlo Balazs’ father, stepmother, brother, all aunts->killed, Eva Rado’s father, mother killed. They married in
Montreal, Canada in 1953 and had 3 children, Edward, Stephen and Thomas
Budapest- Belle Epoque
Budapest and the Jewish Population
• 1900 – 20% Budapest Population – Jewish (only
5% of the total population of Hungary)-– By 1910 ½ of all doctors and lawyers,1/3rd
of all engineers, ¼ artists and writers in Budapest->Jewish
– 1912 Jewish Mayor
• 1940- Approx. 500k Population in Budapest, Approx 825k Hungary
• Joseph II->emancipated, 1848- last name Breslauer, 1922->Balazs
1914-1940• WWI-
– Habsburg Empire
• Brief Communist Interlude– 133 days of Communism- Bela Kun (jewish)
• Fascism– Resentment Treaty of Trianon
– 1st Fascist State- Admiral Horthy
• Becoming Hungarian• Land claims- Romania, Croatia (Greater
1941-1945• Axis- The War- 1941 Hungary joins Germany• 1942 Hungary conscripts Jews labor• March 1944- Nazi Occupy• July 1944 – Horthy stops deportations• October 1944- Arrow Cross• December 1944- Russian Siege- Budapest
Liberated Jan. 1945• Raoul Wallenberg- Swedish Diplomat saved
1000s including Laszlo Balazs and Eva Rado
Forced labor camps
2002 Budapest Hungary
Jewish Couple Budapest
Arrow cross-Hungarian Nazis
Jewish victims of the Arrow Cross
Hero- Raoul Wallenberg
Victims of Jewish Ghetto
Arrivals
437,402 Jews from fifty-five Hungarian localities were deported to Auschwitz in 147 trains. Most were gassed at Birkenau soon after they arrived.
• Christmas and life at Auschwitz for the personnel
The railroad system was stretched to its limits to keep up with the demand of the camp, where as many as 12,000 people a day were being gassed
-More Hungarians killed at Auschwitz than any other Nationality-Last Days 1000s killed daily- crematoriums no longer viable
-Mass trench executionsTotal deathsApprox. 500k of 800k Hungarian Jews
Deportation
Child Tattooed at Auschwitz
Barracks->Auschwitz
Evidence Room-Auschwitz
Some people later claimed the Holocaust is overstated because the crematorium couldn’t handle 12,000 a day—they’re right—the crematoriums weren’t used—the
bodies were thrown in to pits and burned as a pyreKilling Fields-Auschwitz
Crematoriums-Auschwitz
Hall of lost families-Auschwitz
Prague Synagogue-memorial.
Auschwitz survivor, her two children and husband didn’t.
Survived 2+ years in a Soviet POW camp—upon arriving home, found out that his 2 yr old child and wife were killed at Auschwitz- he hadn’t known they were even deported
Legacy-Holocaust
• Anti-Semitism was prevalent throughout Europe– Perpetrators were not only German– Far more perpetrators than rescuers– Average people commit horrendous acts
