Object numberM2009/066:014
DescriptionLetter from Haun Pál, Seregélyes, 31 January 1946, to George Medak, Sydney, in response to a letter to people in the villages of Seregelyes and Sarosd to find out what happened to his family. Excerpt: "On the 5th of June 1944 the Jews were taken away from Seregély to Székesfehérvár, from there they were deported to Auschwitz ... 98-100 Jews lived in the village in 1942, today I am the only one. 19 Jews returned to the village, but they moved away, I have lost everything too. It meant the life to me, my only little daughter, my wife, my mother they all died...."
Part of a collection of letters related to George and Iren Medák. George was born in Ercsi, Hungary on 26 February 1900. He viewed with alarm the success of Hitler’s territorial expansion as well as the radicalisation of German antisemitism. The Anschluss in 1938 was the catalyst that prompted him to put into action plans that resulted in his family’s successful emigration to Australia. He immigrated with his wife, Iren (nee Revesz) and six-year-old daughter, Veronica. They arrived in 1939. George tried desperately and repeatedly, albeit unsuccessfully, to get permission for his brother Dr Erno Medák, his wife Boriska and their young daughter Magdalene, to join them in Australia.
In December 1941 George was arrested as an ‘enemy alien’. Detectives took him away from his home to Liverpool internment camp, and from there to Tatura. He was released after about five weeks, and in February 1942 he joined the Australian Army. He had nothing but praise for the quality of care whilst in detention. During this time, his wife “walked the streets of Lane Cove” obtaining character references from friends, neighbours, work colleagues and the church ministry in order to petition for her husband’s release.
After the German occupation of Hungary—March 1944— letters from Erno stopped arriving. George’s quest to discover the fate of his family resulted in 22 letters of response from friends, neighbours and officials such as the Post Master in the villages of Sárosd and Seregélyes. They offer rare insight into the experiences of Jews living in rural Hungary, as well as the Nazi-allied Hungarian regime’s anti-Jewish laws, its forced labour service (munkaszolgálat), ghettoization, searching for “hidden Jewish wealth”, despair, suicide, deportation, and the decimation of rural Jewry. Through the letters he learned that his brother Dr Erno Medák and Erno’s wife Boriska, their young daughter Magdalena (Magdi) were murdered in Auschwitz in 1944; George’s mother Gisella Medák was also murdered.
George died June 1955. Veronica’s parents had hidden the knowledge that they were Jewish and she only found out in 1972 when her mother died. The collection includes copies of the letters of reference and a travel permit allowing Iren to travel for her dressmaking business and her daughter’s music lessons.
Part of a collection of letters related to George and Iren Medák. George was born in Ercsi, Hungary on 26 February 1900. He viewed with alarm the success of Hitler’s territorial expansion as well as the radicalisation of German antisemitism. The Anschluss in 1938 was the catalyst that prompted him to put into action plans that resulted in his family’s successful emigration to Australia. He immigrated with his wife, Iren (nee Revesz) and six-year-old daughter, Veronica. They arrived in 1939. George tried desperately and repeatedly, albeit unsuccessfully, to get permission for his brother Dr Erno Medák, his wife Boriska and their young daughter Magdalene, to join them in Australia.
In December 1941 George was arrested as an ‘enemy alien’. Detectives took him away from his home to Liverpool internment camp, and from there to Tatura. He was released after about five weeks, and in February 1942 he joined the Australian Army. He had nothing but praise for the quality of care whilst in detention. During this time, his wife “walked the streets of Lane Cove” obtaining character references from friends, neighbours, work colleagues and the church ministry in order to petition for her husband’s release.
After the German occupation of Hungary—March 1944— letters from Erno stopped arriving. George’s quest to discover the fate of his family resulted in 22 letters of response from friends, neighbours and officials such as the Post Master in the villages of Sárosd and Seregélyes. They offer rare insight into the experiences of Jews living in rural Hungary, as well as the Nazi-allied Hungarian regime’s anti-Jewish laws, its forced labour service (munkaszolgálat), ghettoization, searching for “hidden Jewish wealth”, despair, suicide, deportation, and the decimation of rural Jewry. Through the letters he learned that his brother Dr Erno Medák and Erno’s wife Boriska, their young daughter Magdalena (Magdi) were murdered in Auschwitz in 1944; George’s mother Gisella Medák was also murdered.
George died June 1955. Veronica’s parents had hidden the knowledge that they were Jewish and she only found out in 1972 when her mother died. The collection includes copies of the letters of reference and a travel permit allowing Iren to travel for her dressmaking business and her daughter’s music lessons.
Production placeHungary
Production date circa 1946-01-31
Subjectvictims, searching, tracing loved ones, final solution
Object nameletters
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 267.00 mm
height: 160.00 mm
Language
- Hungarian Dear Dr Földes,
Today, I've got the following telegram from London:
“George Medák thanks your Red Cross message please give information about doctor Medákné daughter mother also family Nándor Medák reply and write Schulz 14 Hillway Kingsbury London contact Dr Földes 13. Kecskeméti utca Budapest
Schultz.”
I give information by my best knowledge about the Medák family, please send it to London.
I departed from home on 7th of September in 1942, on 22 November 1942 I crossed the Hungarian border, I was at the Don, I participated the Donian, Pripetian Galician retreat, on 26 October1944 I was captured by the Russians, on 16 April 1944 arrived home in Seregély. Large area of the village was burnt down, because from 8 December 1944 until 18 March 1945 there was battle-line. The stolen Jewish goods (cloths, furniture) disappeared, because the village was evacuated, if the battle-line would not have stopped we could have saved some things.
98-100 Jews lived in the village in 1942, today I am the only one, 19 Jews returned to the village, but they moved away, I have lost everything too it meant the life to me, my only little daughter, my wife, my mother they all died.
I have the following knowledge about the Medák family:
Dr Medak was sent to Székelykerestur as a doctor, in Auschwitz he was with the Seregélyesian Jewish men, where he died in senile decay/weakness on 12 September 1944, surely he was suffering from serious stomach ulcer or maybe cancer.
You know better to me, - I don't read any articles, books about these horrors - what happened with poor Medák Gézáné (Erno's mother) Boriska was taken away, she had nervous breakdown, because she was tortured extremely about hidden Jewish items, they wanted to be sure she did not hide clothes or other things: poor Magduska, if even was let her alive [Antares: even if she was allowed to live?], her weak body could not bear the starvation and other privations.
Nándor was sick for a long time, he had problems with his stomach, I have no news about him, Nándor, Klárika and Péter were taken to Sárbogárd, where they were taken to hell, where the death was waiting for our loved ones. That's all I know about them, you can write this information to London and Sydney, where they don't give credit for these dreads we went through.
At least 8-10 times I have already answered György Medák's questions by the Red Cross and other ways, it seems he received only one.
Today I've sent a telegram with the text: “by my best knowledge from the Medak family nobody is alive.”
I would like you to acknowledge my letter with a couple of sentences and I know in London and Sydney they will be informed about the tragic fate of the Medák family.
Yours faithfully Haun Pál
Seregélyes, 1946 January 31.
On the 5th of June in 1944 the Jews were taken away from Seregély to Székesfehérvár, from there they were deported to Auschwitz.
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Dr Veronica Goldrick