Object numberM2017/052:013
DescriptionPhotograph. Vera Seder as baby with father Laszlo and mother Ilona. Vera (nee Gardos) was born in Budapest, Hungary on 7 November, 1934 to Laszlo (1905-1944) and Ilona Gardos (?-1944). Their family name was originally Grunhut, but in increasingly fascist Hungary, antisemitism was common and it was decided to change it to a more Hungarian (and consequently less Jewish) sounding name.
In circumstances not recorded, Laszlo was arrested in September, 1944 and taken to a slave labour camp named Taksony, outside of Budapest. After her father was taken away, Vera and her mother Ilona moved into a house paid for and under the protection of the Swedish Red Cross, along with many other Jews. The protection was not infallible, however, as only a few days after Vera’s 10th birthday, she and everyone living in the house was evicted.
The Gardos family were deported to the Jewish ghetto in Budapest, where they lived until 21 December, 1944 when Ilona was arrested while trying to visit her parents. She was taken to the banks of the river Danube and shot. Vera managed to find her way to her grandparents and her cousin Lorant, with whom she lived through to the end of the war and afterwards. On 27 May, 1956, she married Laszlo Szederjesy (b. 1926). They left together following the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, travelling via the Hungarian Refugee Assisted Scheme.
In circumstances not recorded, Laszlo was arrested in September, 1944 and taken to a slave labour camp named Taksony, outside of Budapest. After her father was taken away, Vera and her mother Ilona moved into a house paid for and under the protection of the Swedish Red Cross, along with many other Jews. The protection was not infallible, however, as only a few days after Vera’s 10th birthday, she and everyone living in the house was evicted.
The Gardos family were deported to the Jewish ghetto in Budapest, where they lived until 21 December, 1944 when Ilona was arrested while trying to visit her parents. She was taken to the banks of the river Danube and shot. Vera managed to find her way to her grandparents and her cousin Lorant, with whom she lived through to the end of the war and afterwards. On 27 May, 1956, she married Laszlo Szederjesy (b. 1926). They left together following the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, travelling via the Hungarian Refugee Assisted Scheme.
Production date 1935 - 1935
Subjectfamilies, parents, love, children, child survivors
Object namephotographs
Dimensions
- height: 115.00 mm
width: 88.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Vera Seder