Object numberM2018/018:039
DescriptionCarbon copy of letter sent to local Budapest police on 18 April 1945, a month after the liberation of Budapest on 13 February 1945. Written by Ignacz and Margit Reisz, Hungarian Jewish Holocaust survivors.
Outlines a complaint against one Mrs Margit Csavajda, who acted as a concierge in the Yellow-Star House in which Ilona Sarkadi, her parents and sons were forced to live in the latter half of 1944. Mrs Csavajda is accused of retaining and refusing to surrender personal items which the family paid her to hold in safekeeping. The letter recounts confrontations with Mrs Csavajda and her brother - "who by the way was wearing my daughter’s fur hat". During the siege of Budapest in early 1945, "encouraged by the sound of German guns, Mrs Csavajda said to her brother Janil Toth 'toss out these Jews, I will have nothing to do with them!'" Mrs Csavajda later says that as her husband is in the Hungarian army, nobody can touch her.
The outcome of the complaint is unknown.
Before World War II, Ignacz and Margit Reisz were successful businesspeople and owners of farmland in the village of Kunszentmiklos, just south of Budapest. They were arrested and briefly interned early on in the war years, falsely accused of making anti-government remarks. After being freed, they moved to their apartment at 34 Szigony Street in Budapest, and managed to survive in hiding until the city was liberated in 1945.
The Sarkadi family was in 1945 made up of Laszlo (b. 1907, original surname Spitzer) and Ilona Sarkadi (nee Reisz, daughter of Ignacz and Margit, b. 1916), and their two sons Joseph (b. 1934), Stephen (b. 1938).
During the war, László was drafted into forced labour. Ilona and her two young sons fled Kunszentmiklós and survived the war in Budapest with Ignacz and Margit, staying in her parents’ apartment, in a Yellow-Star House, and in hiding.
The family lost many loved ones to the Holocaust, including Ignacz and Margit's two sons, Ilona's brothers Emil and Feri. They rebuilt their lives in Budapest and Kunszentmiklos after the war. Ignacz Reisz died of a heart attack in 1947. The Sarkadi family was eventually persecuted by the Communist government, having their property in Budapest and Kunszentmiklos confiscated.
In 1958, Laszlo, Ilona, their children, and Ilona's mother Margit migrated to Melbourne, Australia. They operated a restaurant from 1960 until Margit's death in 1963.
Joseph and Stephen were traumatised by their wartime experiences, and both died young of misadventure or illness. Laszlo passed away in 1986, and Ilona Sarkadi passed away in 2010.
Outlines a complaint against one Mrs Margit Csavajda, who acted as a concierge in the Yellow-Star House in which Ilona Sarkadi, her parents and sons were forced to live in the latter half of 1944. Mrs Csavajda is accused of retaining and refusing to surrender personal items which the family paid her to hold in safekeeping. The letter recounts confrontations with Mrs Csavajda and her brother - "who by the way was wearing my daughter’s fur hat". During the siege of Budapest in early 1945, "encouraged by the sound of German guns, Mrs Csavajda said to her brother Janil Toth 'toss out these Jews, I will have nothing to do with them!'" Mrs Csavajda later says that as her husband is in the Hungarian army, nobody can touch her.
The outcome of the complaint is unknown.
Before World War II, Ignacz and Margit Reisz were successful businesspeople and owners of farmland in the village of Kunszentmiklos, just south of Budapest. They were arrested and briefly interned early on in the war years, falsely accused of making anti-government remarks. After being freed, they moved to their apartment at 34 Szigony Street in Budapest, and managed to survive in hiding until the city was liberated in 1945.
The Sarkadi family was in 1945 made up of Laszlo (b. 1907, original surname Spitzer) and Ilona Sarkadi (nee Reisz, daughter of Ignacz and Margit, b. 1916), and their two sons Joseph (b. 1934), Stephen (b. 1938).
During the war, László was drafted into forced labour. Ilona and her two young sons fled Kunszentmiklós and survived the war in Budapest with Ignacz and Margit, staying in her parents’ apartment, in a Yellow-Star House, and in hiding.
The family lost many loved ones to the Holocaust, including Ignacz and Margit's two sons, Ilona's brothers Emil and Feri. They rebuilt their lives in Budapest and Kunszentmiklos after the war. Ignacz Reisz died of a heart attack in 1947. The Sarkadi family was eventually persecuted by the Communist government, having their property in Budapest and Kunszentmiklos confiscated.
In 1958, Laszlo, Ilona, their children, and Ilona's mother Margit migrated to Melbourne, Australia. They operated a restaurant from 1960 until Margit's death in 1963.
Joseph and Stephen were traumatised by their wartime experiences, and both died young of misadventure or illness. Laszlo passed away in 1986, and Ilona Sarkadi passed away in 2010.
Production placeBudapest, Hungary
Production date 1945-04-18 - 1945-04-18
Object nameletters
Materialpaper
Techniquetypewritten, printed
Dimensions
- height: 294.00 mm
width: 211.00 mm
Language
- Hungarian To the 8th District police station,
Budapest.
We the undersigned, Ignacz Reisz and Mrs Ignacz Reisz (residents of 34 Szigony St., 1st floor, Apartment 3) hereby make a formal complaint against Mrs Istvanee Csavajda born Margit ellen Toth (current resident of current resident of 11 Akacfa St.. 3rd floor, Apartment 18), regarding her retaining in posession and refusing to return the belongings of others.
Until the end of 1944, the aforementioned individual was employed as a Vice Concierge in the so called ‘house with a star’, 59 Vorosmarty St. where we needed to move due to the anti-Jewish laws. There have been several complaints and formal complaints against this person in the house. For instance, Miksa Laszlo a resident of 29 Szondy St. also submitted a very similar formal complaint to the police station in Mozsar Street regarding this woman.
We gave Mrs Csavajda various articles of clothing, crockery, etc. for safekeeping. The cost of the safeguarding was bedding, clothing, and cash, which we paid her in advance. Not to mention the fact that throughout the summer she took all her meals with us. We visited Mrs Csavajda, earlier this year at her then residence 59 Kiraly St. where she lived with her brother Janil Toth, who by the way was wearing my daughter’s fur hat. She literally tossed me out together with Mrs Dr. Miklosneval Names who also had similar complaints. Encouraged by the sound of German guns, Mrs Csavajda said to her brother Janil Toth "toss out these Jews, I will have nothing to do with them!". While leaving the house, I recognised my daughter’s dress on the janitor of this house. Meanwhile, my son in law arrived, and he also called on them. He used a more forceful voice, and as a result, got back a few items and Mrs Csavajda said she would look for the rest. However, later, despite our numerous requests and demands, we have not received anything back from her.
On the 29th of March of this year, my daughter recognised, walking on the street, the coat and shoes of my grandchild on another small child. She established that the little boy was the son of Mrs Laszlo Becsey, resident of 35 Podmanicky. We visited this person, who admitted that not only these clothes but other children’s clothing was obtained from Mrs Csavajda. Mrs Becsey put this in writing, and I have this testimony. She accompanied us to Mrs Csavajda’s residence in Akacfa St. and showed her the document, saying she can no longer deny what she has done and she should return the items. Mrs Cavajda then took fright and said that we should return in about a week, so she could collect the items and return those that still exist, as well as compensating for what has disappeared. To our great surprise, when we returned at the appointed time, she aggressively told us that her husband had become a member of the the national army and so we couldn’t touch her.
With respect, we request that you provide us the means to search her apartment and start proceedings against her because we are stripped of our belongings.
Respectfully yours:
Budapest 1945 April 18
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Ester Sarkadi-Clarke