Postcard from Elizabeth Horvath to Bella Singer, 3 June 1944
Object numberM2021/039:003
TitlePostcard from Elizabeth Horvath to Bella Singer, 3 June 1944
DescriptionPostcard from Elizabeth (Erzsebet) Horvath (nee Wirth), Sumeg, to Bella Singer (nee Wirth), 3 June 1944, Budapest.
In 1972, donor, Anna, was living in London and visited Hungary with her parents. During that visit her Aunt Bella, gave the postcards to Anna's father with the words, "This is what survived from your Mother." Bella and her brother Lesley survived the war but their sister Elizabeth, the donor's paternal grandmother Elizabeth Horvath (nee Wirth), who was living in Sumeg, about 150km from Hungary, was deported and murdered in Auschwitz in July 1944.
Part of a collection of correspondence, immigration documents and identification papers relating to the family of donor, Anna (Annamaria/Panka) Marks (nee Horvath/Handley). This collection also includes a memoir written by Anna's mother, Judith (Judit) Handley (Horvath nee Egri/ Eisler), recounting her life and experience of the Holocaust.
Judith was born in Budapest on 18 March 1928 to Hugo (Hugi) and Elizabeth (Erzsebet/ Hugone) Egri (Eisler nee Breier). Judith lived with her extended family recalling; "I cannot remember any sadness until 1944."
In her 1990 memoir, Judith wrote that "life started to get rotten in Hungary" following the occupation of Hungary by Nazi German forces in 1944:
"The anti-Semitism was open and rampant. I could not go to school to take my exams, because Jewish people were not permitted to walk on the streets other than between 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm and school started in the morning. Every Jewish person had to wear a yellow star on their clothing; my precious bicycle was taken away."
Soon after occupation, the family's printing business was forced to close and they were relocated to a "yellow-star" house in Budapest, where they were taken in by family friends Olah and Edith Lajos. On 14 October 1944, Judith and Elizabeth were drafted into the labour service (Munkaszolgalat). Judith describes how they; "were forced to build barricades to deter tanks from entering the city." Hugo was also drafted into forced labour at a brick factory. He would later escape and the family was briefly reunited.
Soon after their reunion, Judith and Elizabeth were taken to the Budapest railway station. She recalled; "70 women were shoved brutally inside. We sat on the floor. Someone had a big dish that we used as a toilet. Later that night we were told that we were to be sent to a camp in Germany called Bergen-Belsen." According to Judith, the transport arrived in Bergen-Belsen on 14 December 1944 where they were held in the Sonderlager or "special camp". She recalled that at the camp "We had very little to eat, in the morning two slices of bread, lukewarm coffee made from dark water, and in the evening some sort of very watery soup with chunks of vegetables in it for the rest of our meals..."
Judith remembered a small moment of triumph after she confronted a German soldier about the treatment of children in the camp; "...I asked him if he had a family, he did, he had a little son too, just like the one I was holding... I threw the boy into his arms and said how would he feel if his own son was going through all this." The soldier later ordered "that from now on only the adults had to go outside, the children were not permitted to leave the barrack area...others thought I was quite heroic."
In April 1945, Judith and Elizabeth were forced onto a train destined for Theresienstadt, however the journey was cut short at Farsleben. She recalled that an American soldier drove by shouting "You are free now, the whole army is behind me." After their liberation on 13 April 1945, Judith and Elizabeth were taken to Hillersleben where they were rehabilitated by the US Army. Following their period of recuperation, Judith and Elizabeth returned to Budapest where they were reunited with her father Hugo and her grandparents. They also learnt that many of her relatives had been murdered at Auschwitz.
Elizabeth's father Jozef Breier re-opened his printing shop and whilst in the process of recruiting a business partner, he met Gabor Horvath. Gabor was born in Sumeg, Hungary on 26 January 1921 to Imre and Elizabeth (Erzsebet) Horvath (nee Wirth). During the war, Gabor was captured at Alsoregmec and drafted into forced labour. According to Judith, Gabor became a prisoner of war in Russia in 1945 and when he returned to Hungary; "He weighed 49 kilos and was very sick. Also weak and sad because his parents, grandparents and other relatives were gassed in Auschwitz." Gabor was introduced to Judith and they married on 22 January 1947. Their daughter Annamaria (Anna/Panka) Horvath was born on 8 April 1948.
Following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution the family printing business was "nationalised" and the Egri and Horvath families made the decision to leave Hungary and Communism behind. With the assistance of a people smuggler, the family illegally crossed the Austrian border on 27 November 1956, travelling on to Italy where they boarded the ship Flamina, that departed from Genoa in 1957 under the Hungarian Refugee Assistance Scheme.The family arrived in Sydney on 8 March 1957. Judith and Gabor were aided by the Jewish Welfare Society who assisted them to find accommodation and employment. The family after changing their surname to Handley went on to establish a printing business in Sydney in 1961.
Anna married Stephen P. Marks, born London, 1939, and their daughter, Lucille, was born in 1978.
In 1972, donor, Anna, was living in London and visited Hungary with her parents. During that visit her Aunt Bella, gave the postcards to Anna's father with the words, "This is what survived from your Mother." Bella and her brother Lesley survived the war but their sister Elizabeth, the donor's paternal grandmother Elizabeth Horvath (nee Wirth), who was living in Sumeg, about 150km from Hungary, was deported and murdered in Auschwitz in July 1944.
Part of a collection of correspondence, immigration documents and identification papers relating to the family of donor, Anna (Annamaria/Panka) Marks (nee Horvath/Handley). This collection also includes a memoir written by Anna's mother, Judith (Judit) Handley (Horvath nee Egri/ Eisler), recounting her life and experience of the Holocaust.
Judith was born in Budapest on 18 March 1928 to Hugo (Hugi) and Elizabeth (Erzsebet/ Hugone) Egri (Eisler nee Breier). Judith lived with her extended family recalling; "I cannot remember any sadness until 1944."
In her 1990 memoir, Judith wrote that "life started to get rotten in Hungary" following the occupation of Hungary by Nazi German forces in 1944:
"The anti-Semitism was open and rampant. I could not go to school to take my exams, because Jewish people were not permitted to walk on the streets other than between 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm and school started in the morning. Every Jewish person had to wear a yellow star on their clothing; my precious bicycle was taken away."
Soon after occupation, the family's printing business was forced to close and they were relocated to a "yellow-star" house in Budapest, where they were taken in by family friends Olah and Edith Lajos. On 14 October 1944, Judith and Elizabeth were drafted into the labour service (Munkaszolgalat). Judith describes how they; "were forced to build barricades to deter tanks from entering the city." Hugo was also drafted into forced labour at a brick factory. He would later escape and the family was briefly reunited.
Soon after their reunion, Judith and Elizabeth were taken to the Budapest railway station. She recalled; "70 women were shoved brutally inside. We sat on the floor. Someone had a big dish that we used as a toilet. Later that night we were told that we were to be sent to a camp in Germany called Bergen-Belsen." According to Judith, the transport arrived in Bergen-Belsen on 14 December 1944 where they were held in the Sonderlager or "special camp". She recalled that at the camp "We had very little to eat, in the morning two slices of bread, lukewarm coffee made from dark water, and in the evening some sort of very watery soup with chunks of vegetables in it for the rest of our meals..."
Judith remembered a small moment of triumph after she confronted a German soldier about the treatment of children in the camp; "...I asked him if he had a family, he did, he had a little son too, just like the one I was holding... I threw the boy into his arms and said how would he feel if his own son was going through all this." The soldier later ordered "that from now on only the adults had to go outside, the children were not permitted to leave the barrack area...others thought I was quite heroic."
In April 1945, Judith and Elizabeth were forced onto a train destined for Theresienstadt, however the journey was cut short at Farsleben. She recalled that an American soldier drove by shouting "You are free now, the whole army is behind me." After their liberation on 13 April 1945, Judith and Elizabeth were taken to Hillersleben where they were rehabilitated by the US Army. Following their period of recuperation, Judith and Elizabeth returned to Budapest where they were reunited with her father Hugo and her grandparents. They also learnt that many of her relatives had been murdered at Auschwitz.
Elizabeth's father Jozef Breier re-opened his printing shop and whilst in the process of recruiting a business partner, he met Gabor Horvath. Gabor was born in Sumeg, Hungary on 26 January 1921 to Imre and Elizabeth (Erzsebet) Horvath (nee Wirth). During the war, Gabor was captured at Alsoregmec and drafted into forced labour. According to Judith, Gabor became a prisoner of war in Russia in 1945 and when he returned to Hungary; "He weighed 49 kilos and was very sick. Also weak and sad because his parents, grandparents and other relatives were gassed in Auschwitz." Gabor was introduced to Judith and they married on 22 January 1947. Their daughter Annamaria (Anna/Panka) Horvath was born on 8 April 1948.
Following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution the family printing business was "nationalised" and the Egri and Horvath families made the decision to leave Hungary and Communism behind. With the assistance of a people smuggler, the family illegally crossed the Austrian border on 27 November 1956, travelling on to Italy where they boarded the ship Flamina, that departed from Genoa in 1957 under the Hungarian Refugee Assistance Scheme.The family arrived in Sydney on 8 March 1957. Judith and Gabor were aided by the Jewish Welfare Society who assisted them to find accommodation and employment. The family after changing their surname to Handley went on to establish a printing business in Sydney in 1961.
Anna married Stephen P. Marks, born London, 1939, and their daughter, Lucille, was born in 1978.
Production placeHungary
Production date 1944-06-03
Subjectsigns of life, victims, families
Object namepostcards
Materialpaper
Techniquehandwritten, stamped
Dimensions
- height: 105.00 mm
width: 150.00 mm
Language
- Hungarian From Elizabeth Horvath (Boske)
3rd June 1944
To Mrs Bella Singer (her sister)
My Dears,
Today, Saturday afternoon we are having rest as usually during the week we are very disorganised, but it seems to be the same for everyone, perhaps it is our nerve that are causing this.
Thank G-d we are all well. We received a card from Laci on the 30th, probably during his journey. Probably they went to Ziresre, he received the parcel but I doubt...received.
Unfortunately with Gabor, it is a different situation, he didn't receive the parcel, unfortunately 2 significant parcels have been lost, but we sent it rather late, and we sent it again with this month's 100 Pengo allowance. This afternoon we got a postcard from him saying that we should send nothing... You can imagine how painful this is for us.
Dear Agikam, be content with your job and that you can stay there. Here the young girls have been allocated to hoeing.
...And... Starting in the morning at 6.30am and back home at 7.30pm. For breakfast 1/2L of milk, and lunch and also wages.
Rose Wurzburger is working in a brick factory, it's quite difficult and not clean work. (Paternal Grandmother to Gabor)
Adele 'neni' and family are also well, they are living with the Kells because Mrs Lazar from Szegvar eats with them.
My dears don't send us anything because we don't know what is ahead of you.
Out Mother forgot her slippers at home, if you could buy her a 38 rubber soled shoe she would appreciate it very much.
With passionate kisses and hugs, love, your Boske.
From Berta Wirth (her Mother)
The shoes are not important, if perhaps you could get comfortable slippers or half shoes, it can be canvas, if you can walk in it. It is not urgent if you could find one.
With a million kisses and love, your Mother
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Anna Marks
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this archival project.