Written by Géza Simon, 1901 [under continuous revision
until his death in 1923]
English
version by Anthony Linhardt, Sept 24, 2002
With
editorial assistance from Paul Linhardt.
from Geza Simon’s original Hungarian text transcribed by Agnes
Doffek
[Comments in square brackets are by the translator for
clarification only]
My Great Grandfather, Nachum Simon
My Younger Brother, Jakab Simon
My Younger Brother, Norbert Simon
My Younger Sister, Aranka Simon
To my work, which I just started, may God give his blessing.
The Greek sage rightly said:
History is the Master of Life, which like a mirror held up in front of the eyes
of our soul, miraculously conjures up the deeds of individuals living at that
time, from which we the descendents of their knowledge and wisdom, go forth on
the difficult routes of our life.
If the appreciation of
General History is so valuable for all people whose bosom is open for noble and
beautiful sentiments, how much more valuable and stronger feelings must be
generated by the history of someone’s own family?
What kind of chords were sounded in the minds of descendants by the undulating Saisi veil, when 3 to 4 generations appear and with friendly love beg for room within the eternal memory of reverent Posterity?
Among the frozen nuggets of
the struggle of life, it feels blissful, even for a short period of time, to
rest on the enjoyable oasis of remembrance, where the eternal candle of
reverence radiates its flaring light.
This was fluttering before
my eyes, when I decided to compose the Register of our unpretentious, humbly
strong but decently ambitious bourgeois family, so our children in their late
posterity could gratefully remember their ancestors while reverently turning
its pages, and so the warmth of their hearts would keep alive the love which
they eternally feel toward their ancestors and toward each other.
And, now that I satisfy my
old desire and my old vow to do it finally comes to pass, I put down my pen
with the greatest pleasure in connection with my wish that whoever
continues this already started Book would be able to always write about beauty,
nobility and truth, and could write exemplary [stories] about our family
and our descendants: may they live, prosper and become stronger and stronger
per “saecula saeculorum” [Latin expression for “forever and ever”].
Fiume, January 4, 1901
Dedicated to my life’s
future hope, my son Zoltán.
I.
The duty came to me, not by
fortune but rather by reverence, to try complying the chronological history of
my family; since I had no means of using any written documents, I could depend
only on oral tradition pertaining to our ancestors; in spite of this [and]
in this regard, I collected at this time all I could from those presently
living.
My paternal
great-grandfather, Nachum Simon, was born and died
when he was 80 years old in Hanusfalva in Sáros County. He lived in his own farm as a patriarch,
occupying himself with agriculture and cattle husbandry. (My younger brother, Norbert, was named
after him.)
His wife was Ida. (My younger sister, Ida, bares her name.)
His son, Gerson, was born and died in Gombosvitz in Sáros County.
My mother’s father (after
whom I was named) was a(n) [agricultural] land-leaser [i.e. farmer]
whose wife was Aranka. (My sister bares her
name.)
He [Aranka’s father] was
a descendent of [several] well-known rabbis in Galicia, and was very respected
in his territory.
His second son, Pál, my grandfather, was born in the year 1804 in
Hanusfalva, [and] died in the year 1884 in Nagyvárad at my father’s
home. He was a restaurant owner in
Homonna, even during the events [revolution] of 1848. Due to his patriotic behavior, he was
exposed to suffering by [occupying] Russian troops, to whom he caused
much damage. He was a strong and
courageous man; he wrestled with me when he was 75 years old and even then he
beat me.
His [Pál’s] wife Hani, died in 1848 in Hanusfalva. My grandfather’s family
name [Simon] is carried on by my son Zoltán and my nephews Pali and
Gyula. His [Nachum’s] third son Ózer
died in Galszecs.
My maternal great-grandfather Jakab Szuszmann was a farmer, his wife was
Mirl, his sons: the rabbi Dávid [and] the merchant Izsák, his daughters: Rebeka, Hanni
(my mother’s mother), Lea, Hentsche, Channa, [and] Rachel. Most of them emigrated to America due to the
depressing economic situation in the Uplands [presently Ruthenia in the
Ukraine].
My father Ábrahám Simon was born in the year 1833 in at Hanusfalva
in Saros County, adjacent to Eperjes, where his father Pál Simon was farming.
According to custom at that time, a child could only receive education
on a religious basis, so my father, together with his many siblings, received
his early education from their father who was well versed in religious
knowledge; later, my father was sent to the court of the rabbi of Sárospatak where he was introduced to higher levels
of religious knowledge without any access to laical subjects such as languages
and science.
The instructing rabbi, who although expressed old-fashioned orthodox views
to his pupils, did not hold these views himself without question; while he declared everything beyond Hebrew knowledge as
irreverent and sacrilegious, he sent his own 6 years old daughter to a
public school to learn secular subjects.
So, my father had this little child to thank for the events of his future
fate, since while the little girl was studying to read in Hungarian and German,
he was following [along with] the little girl with watchful attention;
he already knew the [Hungarian and German as apposed to Hebrew] alphabet,
and the little master was already working on sounding out letters [phonetic
writing].
This happened covertly, mostly in the night hours, which would seem a
natural circumstance to anybody familiar with the circles in which he was
involved.
So, through his own efforts, absorbing the ability to read and write in
Hungarian and German, and later also mathematics, he created the basis of those
areas of knowledge with which, collecting them with ant-like diligence, he was
even able the obtain a Teacher’s Credential in the year 1870.
However, before he had the opportunity [to teach], in his younger years, he took tutorial jobs with aristocratic families in the provinces, where by teaching, he could further improve his own knowledge.
Within the struggles of life
by the direction of fate he found himself in Nagyvárad, where the orthodox
Jewish congregation selected him as a teacher, and gave him the duty of [mandatory]
religious teaching in village [public] schools.
In Nagyvárad, not much
later, he met his cousin Regina Simon, whom he made his wife on May 8th,
1860.
The first years of his
married life he spent in Sarkad, from which getting back to Nagyvárad he opened
up his own school, that he closed few years after its establishment.
Meanwhile his problems and
the size of his family were growing linearly, having 7 children, 2 of which had
already died whose rearing took a heavy burden on his modest income.
After this, he went under
contract in the year 1874 to the first class private school, Auspitz, where he
was active with the widest appreciation of the society of the city until the
year of 1900, so after 44 years of teaching, after he saw all children well
off, he could retire due to the acute deterioration of his eyesight.
At his [final]
examinations [of his pupils], the teaching institution, the parents and elders
of the reformed [Jewish] congregation were generous in expressing their
appreciation, and the Minister of Public Education & Religions said
good-bye with a financial award to the distinguished public teacher who was
listening to the offered praising orations with noble humbleness and in the
knowledge of a duty well done with honor, so that the next day he could begin
his well deserved retirement.
His marriage resulted in
seven children: Johanna, born in 1864, died in 1866; Géza, born in 1866; Jakab,
born in 1867; Ida, born in 1869; Norbert, born in 1871; Amália, born in 1873,
died in 1875; and Aranka, born in 1877.
Elders view their only
happiness in the blooming of their family, when the remaining children, the
result of the exemplary understanding and mutually loving marriage continuing
to the present day, are already set up in their own households.
In the twilight of my
parent’s life, on [my father’s] 70th birthday, all their
children with their families got together in Nagyvárad to celebrate together
the grace of the Almighty. We got
together: myself with my wife and two children from Fiume; Norbert with his
wife and two children from Segesvár; Ida with her son from Alsorákos; and
Aranka with her husband and child from Kolozsvár. We were together for 4 days: the grandparents, 5 siblings, 4
spouses and 9 grandchildren. The days
were proceeding in the most pleasant and happy ways, all of us started to shed
tears at the toast of the ceremonial dinner in our happiness, and we were
wondering whether we would get together the same way again during our life.
Moreover, [the memory of] these great days were preserved by a beautiful
photograph.
The fulfilling days of the
well-deserved rest changed into deep sorrow and mourning on March 26, 1906 when
the exemplary patriarch, unforgettable parent, our dear father passed away.
The icy thoughts of the fear
of death were nagging even months before on his [my father’s] mind when,
prior to September, he called on each of us, one by one, with our mother, a [heavy]
sigh erupted out from his bosom, [saying] that he felt this was the
last time he would visit Kolozsvár, and he begged me to come home [to
him] that very year with my children.
Time was running out and, at
the end of December, he reminded me of my promise that I gave my word to return
home, so I went home with my 2 children from December 26 to January 3, at which
time my dear father did see my children for the last time.
Otherwise, my father was in
the best of health until the last minute; he wrote a letter on March 25 both to
me and to Ida, asking her when she comes for the holidays, would she bring with
her my little daughter from Kolozsvár.
In the evening he had his supper in the best spirits, after that he went
over to the neighbor’s apartment where they read [aloud] the news for
him.
He was listening to the news
of the day quite attentively when they read to him that a law professor in
Nagyvárad, during his supper in front of his family, fell off his chair and
died instantly of a heart attack. He
said he wished the same kind of death for himself, without any suffering, which
would be good both for him and for his family.
Our mother had a different opinion; they returned home while quietly
arguing about this and laid down [to bed]. Barely an hour later, our mother was abruptly awakened hearing
noises of vomiting and moaning. She
jumped up, lit a candle, ran to my father’s bed, shook him, called his name,
rubbed him, poured cognac into his mouth, [but] our father didn’t react
to anything; she alarmed the neighbors who all ran for doctors [and] within
a few minutes 5 doctors were standing at my father’s bed; they cut veins, put
leaches [on him], gave him ether injections, [but] everything was
futile. They declared our dear father’s condition as hopeless: he had a stroke
and right-side paralysis. During this
time, our father was laying senselessly, without regaining consciousness even
for a moment from the first minute.
In the morning, my siblings and I received telegrams about the
circumstances and, after I inquired twice about our father’s condition on the
telephone during the morning hours, I
took the first express train at 1 pm, [and] by 4 pm I was at my poor
father’s bed, but he couldn’t recognize me; he didn’t even look at me. That same night at 1:30 am, before his soul
left him, I was standing beside him, when he [abruptly] sat up by
himself; he turned his head toward me with his eyes closed and without a word,
then reclined back. Our father wasn’t
there anymore. His heart stopped
beating.
Just after the people of the
[funeral] trade buried him according to the traditional rituals, my
siblings: Jakab, Ida and Aranka arrived.
I can’t describe the pain of our seeing each other again.
After several exchanges of
telegrams between us Norbert let us know with [much] grief that his
Blanka was laid up [on a hospital bed], and he was waiting for the
result of her labor at any moment, of which he described in his telegram arriving
on [March] 27th at
10:00 am. Their daughter was born [at that time], who preserved the
memory of our dear father by her Hebrew name.
We read in the newspapers
about the universal sympathy of our acquaintances, which was also demonstrated
by the impressive burial service. The
eulogy was delivered by Dr. Kecskeméty with a highly respectable oration. The graveyard and the street were full [to
capacity] with people expressing their respects. They hand carried him [in the casket] almost to the
Rulikovszky Burial Place, where we put him down for eternal rest. I also want to mention the congregation
organized an ornate funeral for him without any fee and, after the funeral, the
prominent members of the congregation with Dr. Kecskeméty high rabbi in the
lead expressed personally their condolences; besides that we received numerous
wires and letters of sympathy.
At the end of eight days of
mourning, I went to the cemetery to say good-bye to my late dear father, and I
took away with me for myself a grub of soil as a reminder from the city of
eternal reminiscence of my youth, where now only a grave represents the locale
of my pilgrimage.
After she consolidated her
household, our mother had left together with my siblings to Alsorákos to live
out her remaining days.
On the first anniversary of
the death of our dear late father, the love of his children commemorated him
with an ornate marble tombstone on his resting place, which I visit once or
twice annually with a stop-over, whenever my travels takes me through
Nagyvárad.
After 4 years I write again
an addition to this account, after 4 years a sense of duty puts the pen into my
hand, after four years, at 1:00 am on April 6, 1910, the heart that had the
warmest feelings toward me, my unforgivable guardian angel’s, our dear sweet
mother’s heart ceased beating.
Three days illness preceded
her passing away; she gave back her soul to her Creator without any pain,
without hard death’s struggle.
Neither the people around
her, nor herself were aware of the [impending] catastrophe; half an hour before her death, she
stepped out of her bed on her own legs, she laid down on an nearby ottoman, but
even after a quarter of an hour, she wished to return to her bed to which she
was helped by my two older sisters, my brother-in-law and a neighbor lady. As soon she found [a comfortable]
position, two little sighs left her lips, her head reclined [to the pillow],
she gave up living.
I had received my brother
Norbert’s wire about this event on April 6, [1910], at 9:30 am, and took
the train that [very] day to the cold body of my dear mother.
An inexpressibly painful
mourning overtook all of us, and when I arrived at noon of the very same day
upon the first available train, I could hardly overcome my great grief.
The funeral took place the
next afternoon at 1:00 pm with the impressive participation of the
entire village. She herself had
selected her own eternal resting place in the exclusive cemetery of the
Hirschfeld family.
As beautiful was her life,
similarly quiet was her passing away.
She gave back her soul to her Creator without pain and death struggle,
she laid peacefully in her simple wooden casket with smoothened face. May she rest in peace, the loving gratitude
of her children will maintain vigil over her memory.
I was born on March 4, 1866,
in Nagyvárad, at 6 Szép utca [Beautiful Street]. I was baptized as Gerzson, but in my entire life I was [always]
called Géza, and [in later years] this name is used on all my [official]
documents. My godfather was a
trader from Mezőtelegd, who is also connected to my parents by [distant]
family ties.
I completed my elementary
schooling in a public school of Nagyvárad, the gymnasium [middle and high
school] up to the 5th grade, in the Premontrei Public
High-Gymnasium of Nagyvárad, the 6th grade privately, the 7th
grade in Debrecen, and the 8th grade privately in Budapest.
I also completed as a
part-time law-student one year of Law in the University of Budapest, and the
next year at the Trade-Academy in Kolozsvár.
In my childhood, I became
very fond of literature; more and more, I submerged myself into the studying of
the subject; as a student, from time to time, I wrote [articles] for the
political newspapers of Nagyvárad, and after graduating from my high school I
became an intern, and later a regular reporter for [the newspaper] “Nagyvárad”. Later, after leaving that newspaper, I
accepted a job as Assistant Editor of the [newspaper] “Nagyváradi
Hírlap”, and during that time a few of my articles were published in newspapers
in the capitol and in provincial cities.
(See my collected essays.)
Concerning my military
obligations, fate handled me with curious hands. That is, I was ordered to enlist 4 times, but on each occasion
they found me unsuitable, and only at the last (8th) examination was
I accepted in the 37th infantry regiment, from which they
transferred me at my own request to the 4th army regiment in
Nagyvárad.
Since my graduation from
gymnasium [high school/jr. college] was obtained privately, in order to
secure my right to become a volunteer [eligible to become an officer
requiring a high school diploma] I took the qualifying examination with
success in front of a mixed Panel in Nagyvárad.
I successfully completed the
first half of my volunteer year in the Ludovika Akademia in Budapest; after
finishing that curriculum, I returned to my regiment, located in Nagyvárad, as
a [cadet] corporal. From there, on the second day, we went with a tank
unit to Debrecen for a two month duration, where I lived through the most
tiring days of my life, living in flimsy tents under the open sky.
After this I moved back to
my post, and at the end of1889, I [successfully] took the examination
for Reserve Officer, and at Christmas of the same year I received the golden
sword ornament tassel [meaning he became an officer].
In March 1890, as a Royal
Hungarian First Lieutenant, I presented myself for active duty, and at that
time I [successfully] took the exam at the Ludovika Akademia in Budapest
to become a commissioned officer.
Returning to Nagyvárad, I
became the Duty Officer of the 1st division[?]; I was doing my job
in this assignment for a year, for my further activity could become Staff
Commander and Food-Procurement Officer.
During this period of service, I successfully took an equestrian course
in Debrecen, and in the next year other courses for Food-Procurement and
Railroad [programming] Officers.
This was the time, when I
enhanced most my life experience by traveling during my earned vacation. I visited, by train, ship and foot, the
bigger towns of the upper, west and south parts of Hungary, [I visited] the
border towns of Rumania and Serbia and I was the guest of the officers of the
Royal Guard, billeted in the Romanian Royal Palace in Sinaja.
In the next year, that is on
June 1, 1896, I resigned my active commission, and by being appointed an
employee [mid- executive] of the Royal Hungarian Tobacco Association, I
started in my position in the factory at Ferencváros of Budapest, I worked
there until December 1st, 1896, and then I asked for a transfer to
the plant in Erzsébetváros of Budapest.
On November 15, 1897, I
became a victim of an accident in Kálvária Square in Budapest, where
disembarking from a streetcar, due to its abrupt start its rebounding door hit
me and, as a result of my fall, the head of my left foot was cut off by the
streetcar’s wheel; consequently, it had to be amputated in a hospital in
Budapest, where the ambulance took me.
After being laid up for
5 months in the hospital, 2 months at my brother’s [home], and 2 months
at home in Nagyvárad, during which time I had received generous and
unforgettable nursing by my parents and siblings, 10 months after my accident,
I reoccupied my position in the tobacco factory at Erzsébetváros; in the year
1898, I was transferred to the plant in Ferencvaros.
In 1898, I betrothed my [first]
wife, Aranka Rindauer, and we got married on November 20 of the same
year [in a civil ceremony] in front of the Keeper of the Records [Justice
of the Peace] of the VI District of Budapest, and afterwards in the in the
Jewish Temple at Dohány Street in the presence of my parents and all of my
siblings. On the occasion of my
marriage, I received 65 telegrams and 135 greeting cards, which constitute one
of my most delightful souvenirs, bounded in a book form.
My first apartment was at 1
Knézits Street in Budapest, where my son Zoltán was born on September 12, 1899,
at 2:00 pm. His baptism happened 8 days
later in the presence of my dear mother, who became his godmother. At the baptism, a large number of guests
participated.
On November 1, 1899, I was
transferred to the factory in Fiume, a position I started to fulfill on the
same date.
In Fiume, my first apartment
was located at 9 Via Municipo, ground floor, my second at 6 Via Cornerio, 1st
floor [note: 1st floor in Europe would be called the 2nd
floor in the US and so forth]. At
this place, my daughter Margit was born on January 27, 1900 (1901?) at 7:30 am.
My wife Aranka’s father,
Salamon Rindauer, Inspector of Mail and Telegrams of the Royal Hungarian Mail [Authority],
was born on July 5, 1848 in Lipótszentmiklós. Completing his schooling at the same
location, in 1896 [?] he was studying mail and telegram curses and on
April 1 of the same year he was appointed as a postal inspector. His employment was in Budapest, and at the
time of my transfer he followed me to Fiume, where he had the same position at
the Post Office of Fiume. Her [Aranka’s]
mother, née Berta Braunspiegel, was born on December 24, 1852 in Bátaszék. Her [Aranka’s]
siblings are: Ernő, born on February 4, 1871; Ida, born on August 18,
1872; Aranka, my wife, born on October 24, 1874; Josefin, born on February 9,
1876; József, born on November 3, 2881; Nándor, born on February 1,1882;
Valéria, born on January 8, 1884 and Aliz, born on July 2, 1894.
In Fiume our third apartment
was at 12 Via Germania on the third [American fourth] floor.
Being in Fiume for 3 years
and 5 months, that is until April 9,1903, by our own request, they transferred
us to Kolozsvár, where I took up my position within 3 days of arriving. At the beginning, for lack of a convenient
place, we stayed at the home of my brother-in-law Móricz and afterward we moved
to our apartment at 52 Pap Street. Our [next]
apartment was at 2 Dohány Street as of March 1904. On April 17-18 of 1905, I completed the
trade examination of the tobacco industry with excellent results.
Socially, I fulfilled at my
work place the position of an elected Councilor of the Governmental
Officers of Kolozsvár, Councilor of the Association of the National
Governmental Officers and Advisor to the Overseeing Committee of the Credit
Union of the Governmental Officers of Kolozsvár.
It could be mentioned in
regard to the improvement of my trade education, that in April 5-6-7 of 1905 I successfully
passed the trade examination for Tobacco Industry Executives in Budapest.
When I returned to my
workplace, my colleges organized a banquet to celebrate my [successful] examination,
at which time I received from all sides very nice ovations. Otherwise, to commemorate this evening, I
donated an ornate cut crystal goblet with silver top and [engraved]
dedication to the Bowling Club of the Tobacco Factory.
In July of 1907 I spent my
month long vacation with my Wife in Italy.
We visited several cities, such as Rome, Naples, Florence, etc. From my trip I brought [back] many
souvenirs, among which the most notables are the descriptions of cities, the
photographs of their better-known art objects [monuments and masterpieces], and
an album consisting of picture postcards, used railroad tickets, used tickets
of entertainment locations, [etc.], which I put into my library
dedicating it to my daughter Lilike.
At the end of September of
this year, I participated as a speaker of the Universal Congress of the Civil
Servants in Szeged, on the topic of Social Questions [Problems]. I spent
4 days in Szeged, where I was given a huge celebration, particularly by the
officers of the local Tobacco Factory.
My social and professional
life gave me everything that could satisfy the ambition of any aspiring
man, except only one thing was missing from my happiness, which
was nothing else but the satisfaction of my family life, the happiness of my
marriage. Even after ten years of
marriage I couldn’t reach the necessary mutual understanding with my wife which
is irreplaceable. Instead of having our
souls getting closer to each other, a larger and larger unbridgeable chasm
developed between us, so the future appeared in peril [to the children] who
could see and hear the daily swearing and fights.
By
mutual understanding and after thinking [it over], we decided to end
this damned situation and break up our marriage.
We
made an agreement regarding our family and financial matters in a [legal] document
in front of the Justice of the Peace, and in August 15, 1908, we liquidated our
marriage [legally separated]. I
traveled to my children, who were vacationing at Alsórákos, adjacent to Brasso,
and my [ex] wife took a job in a similar position when transferred to
Budapest, to where I took the children at the beginning of the next school
semester on September 1, 1908, and ever since they [our children] have
been with their mother, while I took full care of their financial needs. I sued for divorce, and I received on June
1, 1909 the official divorce documents.
On November 20, 1909, on the 11th anniversary of my unhappy
marriage, I was promoted to District Manager of Production of the Royal
Hungarian Tobacco Industry beginning January 1, 1910.
On
September 12, 1912, my son Zoltán reached his 13th birthday, but we
celebrated it later on October 5th because of our summer vacation.
I
myself taught my son Zoltán the necessary knowledge of our religion for the
this occasion, and the ceremonial service for the young men took place on
October 5, 1912, at 3 pm, in the Temple at Dohány Street in Budapest, on which
occasion the high rabbi delivered a beautiful oration for him. I mention, that at the same time, three of
his other fellow students also had their Bar-Mitzvah.
The
huge temple was completely filled with youngsters and their relatives, from my
side all my relatives living in Budapest were present and even my sister-in-
law Blanka came up from Segesvár.
My
son Zoltán beautifully and intelligently lived up to the expectations upon him,
and he received as a present a golden ring and a talisz [ceremonial praying
shawl] from me to celebrate this happy day, commemorating this day for both
him and me.
Besides
this, he received from me a memorial card done with special calligraphy, and on
this occasion many beautiful mementoes from other members of my family. Many greetings arrived by mail and telegram,
which my son stowed away, together with the issued invitation, among youthful
memories.
After
living for 6 years as a divorced man, on July 9, 1913, I got married again, and
I betrothed a girl from Budapest, Ella Radványi, whom I knew even before my
first marriage, but until the occasion of my streetcar accident and afterwards,
I had lost sight of her. This
girl called on me several times at my sickbed, where she got to know my poor
late mother and my older sister Ida.
We
hadn’t seen each other for 13 years, and in 1912, we coincidentally met in
front of Coffeehouse New York in Budapest.
The old attraction awakened, and in the same year I married her. The wedding (civil ceremony) was attended by
a small select circle; my witness was my best friend, Jozsef Halász from
Kolozsvár. After diner we traveled to
my siblings [homes] in Rákos, [and then] to Segesvár.
I was
transferred to Budapest on February 25, 1915; the long awaited order was
delivered to me by Mr. Wangel, Executive Officer from the Ministry, while I was
celebrating my nameday evening with a ceremonial diner in the restaurant of
Nagy Gábor.
After
farewell visits to Alsórákos, to Segesvár and to Nagyvárad, I expressed my
gratitude to the Almighty for his help at the grave of my father and mother,
and donated 20 Koronas [Austro-Hungarian currency] for the welfare of
blinded soldiers. Arriving to in
Budapest on March 15th, I took up my position of employment on the
17th, when I was [immediately promoted] to take charge of the
Accounting Department.
Because
of the uncertainty of the war, for the time being I didn’t rent an apartment,
but we were dwelling in a rented room of of my wife’s mother’s apartment.
The
Bat-Mitzvah of my daughter Lilike happened on May 19, 1915, on the holiday of
the Pentecost, with 20 other [girl] companions, in the Temple of
Buda, with much ceremony, in front of a packed congregation. Dr. Arnold Kiss, high rabbi, delivered a
beautiful sermon. Present were: my
wife; my son, Zoltán; the wives of my younger brothers Jakab and Norbert, and
the daughters of uncle Friedmann.
The
celebration was slightly darkened by an occurrence: my daughter suddenly became
ill during the sermon, and only half an hour later did she get well. After the celebration we had a fantastic
diner with the children in a first class restaurant in Buda, then, to
commemorate the day, we took a ship to Vác [on the Danube], over there
we took an afternoon snack, walked around, looked over the city, and in the
evening at 9 o’clock we returned to Pest also by ship.
On
September 3, 1915, without my previous knowledge, my children together with
their mother moved to Pozsony, and my son Zoltán continued his education
there. On March 25, 1916, I moved from
[the home of] my mother-in-law, where we were living up until then, to
15 Verpeléti Ave, #21, 1st floor.
Our
quiet and tranquil life was made bitter by the shameful and swearing letters of
my ex-wife, which after a while we couldn’t tolerate any more, [so] we
asked for protection from the Court.
The judge sentenced her for slander and defamation of character a
500-500 Koronas fine, or, in case of nonpayment, 100-100 days in jail, based on
paragraph 3 [of the Civil Code], and to paying for the accrued legal
expenses; this judgment was validated by the Court of Appeals, so the judgment
became final.
I had
already visited my children twice in Pozsony, on the second occasion with my
wife on August 20, 1916. From there,
together with my children, we took the electric train to Vienna, where we spent
3 days; afterward from Vienna we traveled by ship to Budapest, passing through
Pozsony.
The
voyage on the electric train between Pozsony and Vienna, the time spent in
Vienna, and the sailing on the riverboat created unforgettable memories both
for us and for the children.
During
the entire trip the weather was exceptionally pleasant, and the electric train
trip through shadowy forests, the remarkable sites of Vienna and the
entire day-long riverboat trip became a magnificent memory. On January 5-6, 1917, my children first were
in [saw] my apartment in Budapest.
On
May 4, 1916, I completed the 25th year of my civil service. On this occasion my colleges greeted me with
warm ovations, gave me an honorary diploma, and put together a joke menu
as it would have been a merry celebration feast instead of the simple brunch
[had it not been for] the sorrowful war times.
Just
now, I have to immortalize one of the greatest afflictions, [I have] to
put on the paper the inexpressible grief, which turned our desolate days into
mourning, due to the death of my unforgettable dear daughter Margit. Young male offsprings of many were taken as
victims by the war, but from me, my only daughter was taken away.
I
received my son’s telegram from Pozsony on May 5th in which he
informed me about my daughter Margit’s critical accident. he disastrous telegram arrived at 9 o’clock
in the evening, according to which my daughter [‘s life had] expired. After a tormented night, I traveled to
Pozsony on the first train, where my son Zoltán was waiting for me at the station. From
there, [I ran] right down to the morgue of the
hospital, where I fell on the mangled remains of my dear daughter, and shed my
inexhaustible tears.
Two months ago they [Margit and Zoltán] were in
Pest, and the beautifully growing child filled my heart with happiness, and I even
obtained a job for her after her school graduation, when bitter destiny
cut her [future] off with such an immeasurable blow. The lines of pain were shown on her icy
face; bloody bonds kept together her mangled limbs. [This was so] because her death was dreadful and terrible.
The tragic event were explained in the following
way, partly by my son, partly by the neighbor ladies, partly by acquaintances:
her otherwise nervous and hysterical mother [Aranka] was always
quarreling with her neighbors, and after one of these confrontations, they [some
of Aranka’s neighbors] broke into her apartment – while Zoltán wasn’t at home -
and they were attacking her [Aranka] with knives. Margit saw that
she was unable to help her mother, even though they were dragging her [Aranka]
on the floor by her hair, and she [Margit]
was also in peril; she [Margit] ran to the window of their 3rd
floor apartment. From there the
explanation is ambiguous: either she jumped in her panic, or fell out, or
shouting for help and losing her equilibrium, she fell.
After
the fall, she was still living for a half hour; allegedly, the police took her
statement, and then, in terrible agony, she lost her young soul. The Death Certificate established the cause
of death to be internal bleeding. The Court [District Attorney] started
an investigation, so I therefore couldn’t stop the official autopsy. Taking care of her burial, I said good-bye
to my dear daughter and came home with my pain, sorrow and grief.
When
I arrived home, I found on my office desk the foulest open postcard from my
ex-wife, which was full of the most ignominious words, and which was dated at
the time when my daughter’s tragedy happened; therefore, to my assumption, it
was self evident that there was a connection between these two events [the
postcard and Margit’s tragedy], because it was well known that my late
daughter disagreed with her mother’s behavior regarding her [Aranka’s]
correspondence to me; because of this, they often argued with each other, and
when she [Margit] couldn’t hold back her [mother’s behavior] any
more, she [Margit] ended her life in her exasperation. Her wounded heart rests in a cemetery of
Pozsony, until the Almighty grants me the kindness [to allow me] to take
her [casket] away from there.
On
the first anniversary of her [Margit’s death], with all of the suffering
of my heart I went to Pozsony, together with my son Zoltán, to
mark her grave with a rather modest – due to the war – tombstone, so I could
tearfully cover the mournful grave mound of my unforgettable daughter. I fixed up the grave mound nicely and
planted a very beautiful and rich wild-rose tree, adjacent to her tombstone.
On
August 19, 1919, I was transferred to the Tobacco Factory in Budapest, Erzsébetváros, to a
similar position, where I took over the Food Supply Department.
The changes caused by the great political turnover
also affected the employees of the Tobacco Factory. During their reorganization, I first became a trustee of the
Tobacco Factory in Erzsébetváro and later the top trustee of all Tobacco Factories of Budapest, and whose
duties I also performed.
At the occasion of the work-reorganization review,
on January 1, 1919, I was promoted to
the VIII rank grade and, at the same time, I received the title of VII [?] and
also the title of Vice Director [Vice President].
On April 1, 1919, the Revolutionary Cabinet
appointed me a Politcal Trustee at the headquarters of the Tobacco Industry
with the authority of a Commisioner of the Cabinet. From then on, my official location was at headquarters, and I
participate in the decision making of the most important governmental
situations.
Six months later, since I was not willing to accept
the ruthless terror of the Communists, I was transferred as a vice president to
the Tobacco Factory at Sip Street, where a beautiful and spacious vice-presidential apartment was assigned to me.
At the beginning of August, the Proletárdiktatura had fallen and the
Counterrevolution won; they started persecuting everybody who was Jewish,
especially the ones who took positions during the Revolution.
These were very difficult for me as well. I was blacklisted due to the slander of [some
of] my administrative colleagues; then on August 10, due to a false
denouncement (allegedly I had people executed in Eger), the police made a
search of my home, [and] at that occasion, they rummaged through my home
from 3 pm to 5 pm. Even though they
couldn’t find anything suspicious, they arrested me and took me to the Main
Police Headquarters. Over there, in a
small cramped room that could hardly be large enough for 20 people, they
crowded together 140 men, mostly of the inteligencia, mostly Jewish, and there
I was kept without food and water until the next day at 4 pm, without my family
knowing anything about it.
I spent the entire night [being] overcrowded
and standing upright. It was an awful
night. The most unforgettable and
terrible day and night of my life.
Every half hour, they dragged away people next to me, and threw them
back later broken and bloody. At every
moment, I expected to be the next, but by shear luck, due to mistaking my name
with somebody elses, I avoided that fate.
They called me twice for interrogation (torture), but each time they let
me go back; then on the third day, they put me on a truck and transported me to
the main prison under the guard of Rumanian soldiers with bayonets.
There, they made me undress, gave me a bodily
search, put me in prisoner’s clothing and put me into a cell: listed at right
star, 1st floor, number 126. I lived
through terrible moments in this dirty and damp hole; for 3 days I didn’t eat a
single bite; on the fourth and fifth day, I had only dry prisoner’s bread, the
other food served I couldn’t possibly eat, until my wife learned where I was and took care of my proper
nutrition.
Day by day, we, all of us as political prisoners,
received dreadful and terrible treatment.
In that crowded jail, I was alone in my cell for two weeks. A second, even a third man were later
assigned there [in my cell]. I
had to clean the place myself, scrub the floor, carrying the pan. I became sick of the dirt and ugliness, and
after three weeks of suffering I managed to be transferred to the jail
hospital. Over there the food, the
environment and the company was much more endurable than in the cell. I shared the room with Dr. Antal Majlaáth,
Head-Director; Dr. Szőllős, Top-Surgeon; [Mr.] Budilor (?),
Party Secretary; etc. I spent the days
tolerably, my health had improved a little, until on October 16, due to my
wife’s superhuman efforts, without any interrogation, trial or verdict, the
false accusation and slander were dismissed.
In the morning at 8 o’clock, I was let free; I found my wife in front of
the prison [building], who not knowing anything was bringing my lunch
for that day [and] with whom we went to the apartment of my
mother-in-law, worn out in body and spirit, and broken because at the time of
my arrest my wife had been thrown out from my home, in spite of all justice and
law, and she escaped after 5 days of being restrained in my apartment, and all
of our furniture was put into a storage.
We lived there for a month with inexpressible nervousness because we
were afraid that I might get arrested again.
Meanwhile, we were looking for an apartment with desperate inquiries,
and finally we found an emergency apartment at the address of 12 Bethlen utca,
ground floor, to where we moved in November.
Due to the uncertain political situation, our
anxiety had not been reduced; day by
day, we were living in instability.
Meanwhile, we received a decree that we could reclaim our previous
apartment by legal force and another decree by which my salary should be paid
retroactively from August, since I was suspended from my office in August and
received no salary from that date.
Nevertheless, I temporarily got a clerical job in
the Cognac Plant of Budafok with a yearly salary of 10,000 Koronas. However, I took my position with much
apprehension because of the constant rush, I did not know, if I would become
victimized again. To be prepared for
all possibilities, I obtained a passport with the greatest effort to
Czechoslovakia and Rumania. I acquired
a Czech visa, but I was unable to obtain a Rumanian visa. One evening (on September 5) a detective was
looking for me regarding another matter, but it was very suspicious, so I
thought it would be better to leave Budapest the next day. I travelled to Kassa, then to Prague, then
back to Kassa, then after 2 weeks I went to Transylvania where I stayed for 4
months.
I wrote about these trips and experiences
separately and put it [the writing] adjacent to this Family Book. I returned to Budapest on January 16, 1921;
unfortunately, at a very bad time, since the [political] situation was
much less than peaceful or stable, so I was forced to change my dwelling to
that of my younger brother Jakab in Kispest [a suburb of Budapest] for 2
weeks. Then, from there I came home [to
Budapest] and ever since I have been there attending to my business.
Due to the continuing inflation and the
increasingly difficult living conditions I was forced to leave my job on August
1, 1921, and look for another job. I found one in the Pharmacia Packaging Plant
at 30 Hernad Street, which I took up on August 1, 1921, but after 2 months I
left it because they did not comply with my needs. I took a position on November 15, 1921, with the Jewish Diocese
of Budapest, where I became the Deputy Chief of the Financial Department. It was a very big responsibility and
excessively demanding business [activity]. Daily I go to the office at 7:30 am, and I go home in the evening
around 7 or 6 o’clock.
The office of my wife was transferred from Budafok
to Pest, to the Technologia at József körút, and she continues her office work
at there. My son (in 1922) sucessfully
completed the fourth year of his studies.
My younger brother, Jakab
He was born on September 29, 1667 in Nagyvárad.
After finishing elementary school and four grades of gymnasium, he went
to work for Armin Laszky in his paper [stationary] store as an
apprentice; from where, after 6 months, he moved to the book printing shop of
the same owner. After completing [his
apprenticeship] there in 2 years, to gain more experience, he started to
wander criss-crossing the country while working, spending time in Brasso,
Pozsony and Budapest.
He was spending time at his stop [Budapest] at the
same time when I was there; then later, he returned to Nagyvárad, where he got a job in the local book
printing shop, and presently he supports himself and his family by being
foreman of the same print shop, where he was an apprentice.
On May 15, 1894 in Nagyvárad, he married Róza Mahler, daughter of a
local tradesman József Mahler, with whom he is
living in a most fulfilling bliss. Thus
far, he has begot from this marriage 3 sons: Pál, born on May 15, 1895;
Dezső, born on April 4, 1897; and Zoltán, born on June 10, 1900, and I am
the godfather of this last son. His
daughter, Erzsi [Elizabeth] was born on March 17, 1903. He moved with his family to Budapest in
April 20, 1905.
His son Pali was learning to be a clerk in a
hardware business, and as an apprentice, he became employed by one of
Budapest’s first wholesale trader (Frankl. B.). His [other] son Dezső completed his business
administration high school studies in 1903, and presently he is employed at the
Government Arms Factory.
His son Pali was inducted on May 15, 1915 to serve
his military duty and, after a few weeks of training, he went to the front
within the 1st Honvédezred [military
group] as a corporal. He was
involved in numerous combats and got injured.
As an injured [soldier] he came home, but after the recovery from
his injuries he had to go back to the front.
During his brief stay there in the battle against the Italians, on June
29, 1916, he received a major injury and died, to the undescribable grief of
his parents and of all of us. Even
though he is in an unmarked mass grave, he remains in our grateful memories.
His son, Dezső was enlisted for a year as a
volunteer on August 28, 1916 and, after a short training, he was transferred to
officer’s school. Fortunately, after
the war he returned to the circle of his family as a second lieutenant.
His [third]
son
Zoltán also participated in the war, and after the battle of Piave, since the
war was over, luckily he also returned home.
They [Jakab and Róza] are celebrating their
25th marriage anniversary this year [1919]. After the war, both he and his sons were unemployed for quite a
while and his daughter was also laid off from the Post Office.
His son Dezső got married in 1920 [to
Aranka Auchter], and in 1921 his daughter [Eva] was
born. Otherwise, Dezső gave up his
studies and presently he makes a living as a musician.
She was born in March 4, 1869 in Nagyvárad where she finished her schooling; she even
obtained a Teacher’s Credential. After
teaching in Érd, in Buda Bicske and at a few locations tutoring aristocrat
families, she was appointed as a teacher in the year 1906 to a small village, Kövesd, in Transylvania.
In August, 1896 a bookbinder tradesman from
Budapest, Adolf Hertzfeld, asked her for [hand in] marriage. Abandoning her job, she moved up to Budapest
where she also had her wedding.
From this marriage, their son Imre was born on June
28, 1897. Her contented married life
was [seriously] disturbed by the onset of her husband’s sickness in
November 10, 1898 which became so intense in the month of September of 1899
that his mother was forced to put him in the Mental Health Institute in Lipótmező, where he is presently residing in a condition
of unstable health. This sad situation
necessitated the revalidation of the Teacher’s Credential of my sister Ida and,
after tremendous effort and struggle, she was able to gain an appointment to
become a public school teacher in Alsórákos, Transylvania; in the
month of December of 1899, by a decree of the Royal Hungarian Ministry of
Religions and Public Education, she took this job without delay and is there
presently while being anxious with broken spirit about the sad fate of her
beloved husband.
Her husband Adolf Hertzfeld (Hajós) was born in 1868 in Nagyvárad from his tradesman parent, József Hertzfeld, [and]
was the oldest among his siblings whose names are Dezső and Jenny. Losing his father at an early age, he moved
with his widowed mother to Budapest where she sent her son Adolf to the first
class shop of K. Lajos Posner to learn
the art of book binding, where he was working until his marriage. After his wedding, he went into his own
business and in the year 1889 he changed his name to Hajós.
On February 25, 1902, the Almighty ended his
terrible suffering. His funeral was in
the graveyard of the Jewish Mortuary of Buda on the 27th of February. Ida and I took the train up for his funeral
to say good-bye to the best husband, father, brother-in-law and friend. May he rest in peace.
On November 14, 1910, she got married again to a
retired railroad engineer, Lipót Gyulai. Her son, Imre, who was completing the 8th
grade of the Miko Kollegium of St. Győrgy at Sepes, voluteered to become a
soldier, together with all of his classmates.
The Minister of Defense accepted their volunteering with pleasure, and
he, together with the Minister of Public Education, ordered their [Imre’s
and of his classmates’] graduation
be moved up to the month of December of that year, and he [the Minister of
Defense] was going to take care of the enlistments, when ready.
He went to enlist on August 25, 1915 in Prague in
the 2nd Royal Army Regiment of Brasso.
After the officer training he went to the front with the rank of [cadet]
corporal and died as a hero on July 3, 1916, leaving eternal mourning and
sorrow for his much tried parents and relations.
This unforgettable tragedy was followed by the
escape [of Ida and her family] from the Rumanian herd on August 20,
1916, and they arrived in Nagylak in a topless cattle wagon after 15 days of
rough treatment with the greatest agony and suffering.
Nevertheless, the Almighty still did not stop
punishing them with a series of misfortunes, since as soon, as they overcame
the tiredness of the painful journey, her husband, Lipót Gyulai on September 14, 1916 suddenly died of a
stroke. During the entire escape I
received no information about their whereabouts; only at the occasion of the
death could my little sister Ida, with the approval of the szolgabiró [local
authority], send me a telegram of notification. I got on the train without delay, but I arrived only after the
funeral because of the many late trains.
They burried him at the local cemetery.
After two weeks, my sister Ida came to Budapest
with Aranka and her [Aranka’s] family; at the beginning, she stayed with
me for 2 weeks and afterward she moved in with my sister Aranka to a house
prepared for the refugees from Transylvania.
She was dwelling there in her mourning and sorrow until December 30,
1916 when, due to a higher order, she travelled back to her position in Alsórákos.
While she was there, due to my suggestion to divert
her mind from her mourning, she got herself assigned to an elementary school in
Ujpest; she was even teaching there for a month, but her mental condition
prevented her from performing properly, so she resigned.
Subsequently, she returned to Rákos to resume her position.
She found her family hearth [entire home] desolated and robbed,
but this was not comparable to the devastation of her soul [and the mourning] that she felt for the loss of
her son. She lays down with this
sorrow, she wakes up with this sorrow, she carries her cross all day long for
the rest of her life.
Since November 1919, her neighborhood again turned
into a war zone and, ever since, I have heard no information about them; I
learned only through messages that her situation had become endurable, that she
had to take the Rumanian citizenship vow and, in this way, they let her stay in
her job. For a long time we received no
information about her, until at the beginning of 1921 we learnt that she is
well [and] she had married for the third time to a top machinist, Jakab
Urai from Kissebes. I was there between
December 24, 1921 and January 15 of 1922, where I received the most cordial
welcome. I got to know my brother-in-law
who just reached his 60th year of age as a robust, jovial, kind and sympathetic
man. My new brother-in-law, my sister’s
third husband had a teacher as his previous wife, and their [my new
brother-in-law and his previous wife’s] children are now already out of the
nest [they are adults on their own]. Their wish to relocate my sister Ida to Kissebes until (March 1)
was unsuccessful, so then my sister taught at Alsórákos; while she sent her furniture to Kissebes, she lived in the office of the
school principal and later she was able to get her own apartment and rule her
own household.
My younger brother, Norbert
He was born on March 21, 1871 in Nagyvárad, where he completed his elementary and gymnasium
studies. In 1888, he went to Budapest
to study at the university where he continued his study in spite of a delay
[caused by a] serious illness until he gained an Engineering Diploma in
1892.
Being self-dependent, he had to work diligently
during his entire studies; tutoring the children of aristocrats, he got
acquainted with upper class families, [and] that’s how he was appointed
to positions in two cities even before obtaining his diploma.
Since he wanted to work on government [public]
architecture, he took a position on October 25, 1892 at Szt. Győrgy in
Sepse. From there he got himself
transferred to Segesvár on December 20, 1893,
where he is still engaged today.
He got married on April 25, 1897 to Blanka Kondor,
daughter of a retired professor Dr. József Kondor, with whom
he is living in the happiest marriage.
His marriage encountered a great tragedy in the
first year after the wedding, because his wife delivered a stillbirth in 1898. However, the Almighty was contented with their suffering, and sent for their
solace their son, Gyula [on December 27, 1899]
My younger brother’s wife was the youngest child of
Dr. József Kondor and his wife, before
her [their children were] Flóra, Alfréd and Otto, who already had families [of their own]
at that time [when Blanka married].
On August 7, 1901 his [Norbert’s] son László was born, with the
Hebrew name of Ozer.
On May 9, 1904 his daughter, Jolánka was born.
On March 28, 1906, his daughter Klárika was born.
On December 6, 1910, his daughter Irénke was born.
On April 3, 1913, his daughter Magduska was born.
The Rumanian attack forced them also to escape;
after unspeakable privations and suffering, they arrived in Budapest, and here
they rented an apartment. As soon as
they settled down, they sent their children to school, and my younger brother,
Norbert was ordered to go back to Segesvár. The sons, Gyula and Laci also went back to
continue their education there. Their
mother, their [maternal] grandmother and the four little children stayed
on in their rented apartment at Sziget Street.
After being there for 3 months, fortunately, they returned by train to
Segesvár.
The month of December of 1918 again brought
difficult days for him; because of the attack of the Oláhs [Rumanians] tumultuous days started once again.
My younger brother, Norbert got himself transferred
to Pest, but for 6 months he couldn’t even start his new job, because he was
unable to obtain an apartment in spite of his greatest efforts and
expenses. His son Gyula now has a job
here in Budapest, [and] Laci had to be brought here lest the Oláhs enlist him [into Romanian army]. Since January
1, 1919, he [Laci] has come here and he continued his studies while he
lives at our home. After much hardship,
he [Norbert] was able to conclude his transfer to Budapest and, at the
beginning of April, 1919, fortunately, he moved with his family to a beautiful
bungalow on 15 Zárda Street, Rózsadomb. On
account of the difficult economic situation his wife Blanka opened up a hand-craft
shop, which subsists financially fairly well.
In the month of May, 1922, he celebrated the 25th anniversary of his
marriage, in which I participated as well.
A very nice group of people came together and the evening was spent in
very high spirits.
My younger sister, Aranka
She was born in September 5, 1877, at the address
of 1 Kert Street, Nagyvárad. She completed her schooling partially in a
Auspitz-like private school, at a girl’s high school and finally at the
Kerskedelmi Akademia [Trade Academy] in the year 1892.
Finishing her schooling, she didn’t take any job
because, until her marriage, she was working in our father’s school as his
helper.
She got married on August 8, 1900 in Nagyvárad to a merchant fom Kolozsvár, Móricz Sebessy, with whom she presently lives in happy contentment. Her husband, Móricz Sebessy was born in the year 1875 in Kolozsvár, where he settled down
as a merchant after his discharge from the military.
He
lost his father at a very early [Móric's] age, so he didn’t even know
him. His mother, who was born in 1833
still lives in Kolozsvár. She got
married three times; my brother-in-law was sired by her 2nd husband
together with his brothers: Jakab, who lives in America; Gyula and Pál, who are living in Kolozsvár.
From
this [Aranka and Móricz’s] marriage, their daughter, named Elza,
was born on April 24, 1901. He
[Móricz] laid in bed in Nagyvárad for 7 weeks, suffering with a serious
illness, until on May 3, 1903 he returned to the circle of his family to the happiness
of all of us. Since his leg hadn’t
healed yet, they had to give up their shop and to move to Alsórákos, where her
husband obtained employment in the local quarry. On September 3, 1905, their daughter, Olga was born, but on the 9th
[of the same month] the spark of life departed from her.
On
October 30, 1906 their [3rd] daughter was born, but a few
hours after her birth, she stopped living.
On
February 23, 1911, their son, Lacika was born, but he died on his 8th
day.
On
August 1, 1914, due to the general readiness caused by the outbreak of the war,
my brother-in-law, Móricz was drafted as an artillery corporal of the
militia. Due to orders from above, he
remained in Rákospalota to serve there; on December 15, 1914 he was still
there. May the Almighty make him
fortunate to live through the end of the war with glory and good health. Móricz often came home on liberty during the
war.
They
had to escape from Alsórákos, when the Rumanians attacked Transylvania and,
after 15 days of suffering in open wagon, they arrived in Nagylak (Csanád
County). After 3 weeks, they came up to
Budapest where she [Aranka] enrolled her daughter Elza in a trade
school.
She [Elza]
completed her studies successfully at the end of the same year and they
went back to Alsórákos. Móricz
fortunately returned from the war as a sergeant. Since the Oláhs occupied Alsórákos, I haven’t heard any news from
them since the month of November of 1919.
Through messages I know, that he regained his job and he lives with his
family contented, considering the difficult times.
On
May 18,1922 after being there for 18 years he changed jobs, and gained
employment in a glass factory in Medgyes, where he also moved.
Ábrahám
Simon: Nagyvarad, Jewish Cemetery in
Bonekut, at the main entrance, on the Main Street the 4th grave row
counting from the chapel, 3rd
grave (starting from David Krausz).
Wife
of Ábrahám Simon [Regina] : Alsórákos, the Jewish Grave Garden, at the upper
edge, 1st grave.
Margit Simon: Pozsony, orthodox cemetery, the highest terrace, left from the street.
*****************************************************************************************
Zoltán
Born:
September 12, Budapest, 3 Knézits Street, 2 pm.
His
Hebrew name: Deraga
Bar
Mitzvah: October 5, 1912, Dohány Street
Enrolled
to medical college: 1917
Margit
Born:
January 27, Fiume
Her Hebrew name: Taube
20
October 2002; pml