Object numberM2009/066:017
DescriptionLetter from Jozsef Mongyi, Post Master, Seregelyes, Fejer county, Hungary, 4 February 1946, to George Medak, Sydney. It was written in response to a letter from George who wrote to numerous people in the villages of Seregelyes and the neighbouring Sarosd in an attempt to find out what happened to his family. Jozsef writes (extract), "As events unfolded, poor Erno was ordered to Szekelykeresztur in Transylvania as a forced labourer doctor. He wrote from there frequently, among others to me. Then, on June 5, 1944 all Jews from Seregelyes, including the Medak family were taken to Szekesfehervar. From there, after a week, they were taken by train, through Seregelyes, to Auschwitz in Germany, and not one of the poor souls has returned from there so far."
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
Subjectvictims, searching, families, final solution
Object nameletters
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- a width: 212.00 mm
a height: 293.00 mm
b width: 212.00 mm
c height: 149.00 mm
Language
- Hungarian a.
Seregelyes, February 4, 1946
My Dear Mr Medak,
I hasten to answer your letter of December 20, last year, and I want to state upfront, that I responded immediately to the two telegrams you sent last year, but they were delayed due to a break in traffic.
Poor dr Medak, who was good friend of mine, as well as Nandor from Sarosd, who was a good friend and colleague, have not, to date. returned to Seregelyes or Sarosd.
The Germans entered Seregelyes on March 19, 1944. As it happens, on the evening of that day together with the rest of the intelligentsia of Seregelyes, Erno and his family were at my place for dinner to celebrate a name-day . By then he was pretty quiet and devastated and we all tried to console him and Boriska and little Magdika.
As events unfolded, poor Erno was ordered to Szekelykeresztur in Transylvania as a forced labourer doctor. He wrote from there frequently, among others to me. Then, on June 5, 1944 all Jews from Seregelyes, including the Medak family were taken to Szekesfehervar. From there, after a week, they were taken by train, through Seregelyes, to Auschwitz in Germany, and not one of the poor souls has returned from there so far.
In July 1944, the engineer Mr Weiss, the owner of the mill in Seregelyes, wrote to me from Auschwitz, to let me know that he is together with Dr Medak, Dr Berger and Arpad Klein and they all worked in their professions but there was no news of Boriska and little Magdika since they were taken. Mrs Arpad Klein, who returned home to Seregelyes, said that when they arrived at their final destination, they were separated, the children, girls and women were in one group and the elderly in another and so they did not see each other again and there is no news of their fate.
At the end of May, the Nadors of Sarosd were also taken to Sarbogard where the little Andriska died in the heavy circumstances, Nandor with Klarika and Klarika’s parents were also taken to Germany and there is no news of them since then.
I’m trying to get news of the Medaks from those who have returned but unfortunately, I’m not getting any answers.
The whole village feels bereft for the Medaks, everyone liked them, a truly good family and a really good man. and as a doctor we will all miss him as long as we live.
Poor Erno was in poor health in the last three years, he never complained, and he kept from his family that he was seriously ill. He wanted to protect his family from even the suspicion that he was gravely ill. He wanted to undergo an operation several times, but he did not dare to risk the operation. Perhaps he could not endure the hardships of the difficult times and his illness delivered him from all the suffering.
I would like to ask you to take my letter as the honest truth, I have not kept back anything. I spent ten years with them in friendship, but the cruel hand of fate took them when they were most needed. Please accept it and take comfort from the knowledge that the entire population of the village of Seregelyes mourns the Medak family and their memory will live forever.
On behalf of my family I turn to you dear Mr Medak as the brother of my best friend, with an unusual, I could say, impossible request to ask for your help in our difficult situation if you can afford to do so. Of course, I will return the favour as soon as I am able.
The war had a devastating effect on Seregelyes. Our family of six survived and we lost virtually everything. I took over the role of post master from my mother-in-law in 1938 after she served in the role for 32 years. I now live in the greatest poverty, because, as I said, we lost everything, partly it was taken away and partly it was destroyed during the heavy fighting. We are now without clothes or shoes, and even food is very sparse, we just survive like shadows. It is impossible to buy anything, because there isn’t anything and due to high cost of everything our modest income hardly allows us to keep body and soul together. I would like to ask you if at all possible to do us a favour. As I said, I would return your outlay as soon as our financial position allows it, and if it is cheaper to obtain clothes and shoes overseas, perhaps you could send us a parcel for which…
b.
…I would be eternally grateful, and you would be saving an anxious father.
I have an eight-year-old son, a six-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter, in addition I badly need a pair of men’s shoes, size 42 for myself, and for my wife a pair of women’s shoes, size 39 as well as clothes for myself and my sons.
I ask again, please do not take my request as harassment, I’m only asking for help if it is possible.
I remain your obedient servant,
Jozsef Mongyi, post master
Seregelyes, Fejer county, Hungary
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Dr Veronica Goldrick