SIMON Dezsö
aka SIMON Dezsó

On My Father
translated from a letter from Emöke B^[5]

My father, Dezso even as a small child excelled with his [very] good mind and musical talent, so he was educated in a [special] Music School and in 1914 he received a Highschool Diploma. He was so advanced in his violin studies, that according to a still survived document, in 1910 as a 13 years old he graduated in a college entrance course with excellent rating. (Few documents found their way back to us after the war /WWII Auschwitz/ from the building, from which they took away me and my mother. My father was already dead at that time. For the people, who stole our possessions, these papers were worthless, that is why they still exist.) I even found a [photo] picture of our grandfather, (which I attach).

My father, Dezso, was called into the military in 1916. He was sent to the front, where during the fighting an artillery bomb has fallen and exploded at his close vicinity, which caused diminished hearing. When the war was over and the medical examinations were not giving much hope for recovery, he taught about [decided] changing his career and applied to be accepted [as a student] by the Engineering Division of the Technical University. Prior to this he got married. My mother, Aranka Auchter, was 4 years younger than him, she was living in the same building in Budapest, into which the Simon family moved in from Nagyvarad. She was so beautiful, that all the three Simon boys have fallen in love with her. However, she chose my father, with whom she shared musical interests. My mother studied [operatic] singing, my father attended the Technical University. After a couple years when Horthy [Hungary's fassista dictator until 1944] came into power, the Technical University was the place where the Turulista [extreme rightist youth organization at that time] students were mostly congregated, and the anti-Semitism was very strongly prevalent. Very soon the Jewish "numerus clausus" [restriction of the number and/or percentage within an organization] was enacted for the first time in the whole world, and the Jew-beating became daily event in the University. My father also was beaten up several times, and was thrown out through a second story window. That's why he gave up after four or five semesters. He went back to another college, where the anti-Semitism wasn't as bad, and obtained a Teacher Diploma [Credential]. He opened up a private school (for violin), and he also played the violin in the evenings for the largest movie theater of Budapest (Urania), since at that time only silent movies were exhibited. Their first child, my sister Eva was born in 1921, and I was born in 1927. My mother continued her singing education in the Higher Music College of Budapest. Just before her graduation in 1927 her [my?] sibling became ill and died in 1929. My mother did not sing from there on. In 1929 the talkies started, so one of my father's major opportunities for making money disappeared. Because of his slowly deteriorating hearing he could not get an employment in a larger orchestra. Anyway, at that time quite many educated [classical] musicians were unemployed. During summer vacation times he went to larger restaurants to play instrumental music. That's how in one of the seasons [he played] in Balatonkenese at the [lake]. Balaton, which was mentioned by aunt Bozsi too. He also [played] in Hotel English Queen in Debrecen and Hotel Gembrius in Hajduszoboszlo. He made the contracts, so my mother and I could join him there for summer vacation. [Contrary to] aunt Bozsi's story it was not due to her jealousy, even though she could have reason for it. [..] When the first Jewish Law was enacted, they revoked [my father's] music-school license and from there on he contracted himself to country [locations] for the entire year. That time my mother opened up a [small] store in Kispest, adjacent to the [Farmers' ] Market. After the death of my father we even made a living out of it, until we were taken away forcefully.

I don't know anything about the Mahler relatives, my father never talked about it, even though my entire childhood was full with [the love of] music. [His] pupils [often] visited us, he played violin-quartets with his colleagues. He directed theatrical or mostly musical plays, where my mother was singing and my father was playing on the violin, or conducting the orchestra [when possible]. He had a symphonic orchestra in Kispest, which he financed himself [with] all volunteer musicians). He was its Concert-master, and many times its Conductor. His fatal accident happened, when he tried to visit a bass-player who did not attend a rehearsal, on the Ulloi Ut of Kispest a German military vehicle run him down. He had made quite many records of his own, both solo or orchestral, but all of them disappeared during the war. When we returned from Auschwitz, I did not try to find them.

On My Brother Dezsö
from a video interview with my grandmother BOSKE MOHOS in 1997^[1]

On My Brother Jakab's Son Dezsö
Diary of Geza Simon, 1901

His [Jakab's other] son Dezső completed his business administration high school studies in 1903, and presently he is employed at the Government Arms Factory.

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.