Object numberM2018/018:064
DescriptionVelvet drawstring pouch. Owned by Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor Laszlo Sarkadi, and possibly dating to his Bar Mitzvah c. 1920 or his marriage to Ilona Reisz in 1934.
The pouch contained a set comprised of a kippah (018:061), tefillin and pouch (018:062a and b).
Laszlo Sarkadi (originally Spitzer) was born on November 30, 1907 in the village of Kunszentmiklos, south of Budapest. Laszlo married Ilona Reisz, the daughter of a prominent local family, in 1934. They had three children – Joseph (b. 1934) Stephen (b. 1938), and Emily (b. 1947).
Laszlo was conscripted into the Hungarian army prior to World War II. During the war, he was drafted into the Jewish Labour Service. He spent the majority of the war years separated from his family, who were hiding in and around Budapest. Laszlo managed to escape from forced labour, deportation and almost-certain death as the war drew to a close. He was reunited with his wife and children in Budapest in early 1945. Laszlo and his sister Piroska were the only members of their immediate family who survived the Holocaust.
The Sarkadis rebuilt their lives in Budapest after the war, but were eventually persecuted by the Communist government, having their property in the city and Kunszentmiklos confiscated.
In 1958, Laszlo, Ilona, their children, and Ilona's mother Margit migrated to Melbourne, Australia. They operated a restaurant from 1960 to 1963.
Laszlo died in 1986.
The pouch contained a set comprised of a kippah (018:061), tefillin and pouch (018:062a and b).
Laszlo Sarkadi (originally Spitzer) was born on November 30, 1907 in the village of Kunszentmiklos, south of Budapest. Laszlo married Ilona Reisz, the daughter of a prominent local family, in 1934. They had three children – Joseph (b. 1934) Stephen (b. 1938), and Emily (b. 1947).
Laszlo was conscripted into the Hungarian army prior to World War II. During the war, he was drafted into the Jewish Labour Service. He spent the majority of the war years separated from his family, who were hiding in and around Budapest. Laszlo managed to escape from forced labour, deportation and almost-certain death as the war drew to a close. He was reunited with his wife and children in Budapest in early 1945. Laszlo and his sister Piroska were the only members of their immediate family who survived the Holocaust.
The Sarkadis rebuilt their lives in Budapest after the war, but were eventually persecuted by the Communist government, having their property in the city and Kunszentmiklos confiscated.
In 1958, Laszlo, Ilona, their children, and Ilona's mother Margit migrated to Melbourne, Australia. They operated a restaurant from 1960 to 1963.
Laszlo died in 1986.
Production placeHungary
Production date 1920 - 1934
Object namepouches
Materialsilk
Techniqueembroidered, stitched
Dimensions
- pouch length: 255.00 mm
pouch width: 220.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Ester Sarkadi-Clarke