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Collection of affidavits from Stephen Casey, Agatha Casey, and various friends and acquaintences
[nb-NO]Object number[nb-NO]M2020/024:004
[nb-NO]Title[nb-NO]Collection of affidavits from Stephen Casey, Agatha Casey, and various friends and acquaintences
[nb-NO]Description[nb-NO]A collection of affidavits from Stephen Casey, Agatha Casey, and various friends or acquaintances, pertaining to the years 1944-1945 when Stephen was forcibly moved into a Jewish ghetto, made to wear the Star of David, and work in forced labour camps. The affidavits related to Agatha Casey refer to her having spent time hiding in a basement. Agatha's statement attests to various illnesses and conditions she is plagued with as a result of the poor conditions she suffered through in hiding, including illnesses related to her kidneys and lungs. An affidavit from Agatha's childhood friend, Dr. Maria Hajnal, states that Agatha did not have any pre-existing illnesses prior to 1939. The Casey's struggled for decades to claim compensation for their chronic medical conditions that were a direct result of their suffering during the war.
Istvan Katona (Stephen Casey) was born 29 June 1924 in Kartal, Hungary to Aladar and Erzebet (Elizabeth) Katona (nee Elefant). When Germany occupied Hungary on 19 March 1944, all Hungarian Jews were made to wear yellow stars and forcibly relocated to ghettos. Istvan and his family were deported to a ghetto in Bagolyuk at the beginning of April 1944 and he was conscripted into the ghetto police. In May 1944 Istvan was forced into compulsory military battery service in northern Hungary. Three weeks after his departure, his parents were deported to Auschwitz. His mother was sent to the gas chamber on arrival and his father was deported to Dachau where he was murdered on 27 February 1945.
During an armed uprising, Istvan and other members of the labour battalion were arrested by the Hungarian authorities and deported to Germany. Istvan arrived at Buchenwald concentration camp on 9 November 1944 and was assigned to forced labour as a registered electrician at the Panzerfaust factory in Schlieben. Later, he worked as an electrician in a hospital in Flossberg concentration camp.
He was deported to Mauthausen concentration camp on 13 March 1945. On 5 May 1945 the United States Armed Forces liberated the camp. Istvan returned to Hungary in June 1945 and began to search for family. He discovered that out of 41 relatives, only 5 had survived.
In 1948 he married Agota (Agatha) Halmi and they had two children, Andris (Andrew) and Janos (John).
In 1956 the Katona's fled the Hungarian revolution. They escaped to Austria and sought passage to Australia, but could not travel for six months because their son was sick. During this period the Katona's sought the legal advice of Karl Meth, a practitioner in Vienna, regarding a claim for compensation.
The Katona's arrived in Sydney on 19 June 1957. Istvan changed his name to Stephen and anglicised Katona to Casey.
In 1963 the Casey's pursued compensation from the German government in a claim which spanned almost two decades. Concurrently, they also sought compensation from the Hungarian government. Their claim for compensation for loss of freedom, health, and property was not advanced until the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany Inc. (Claims Conference) took over in the 1990s. The resulting agreement, known as the Article 2 Fund, awarded Stephen with a monthly pension. In 2005 the Casey's received a letter from the Office of the German President, expressing regret that the original claim had not been granted.
Agatha passed away 24 April 2014. Stephen passed away 18 October 2015.
Istvan Katona (Stephen Casey) was born 29 June 1924 in Kartal, Hungary to Aladar and Erzebet (Elizabeth) Katona (nee Elefant). When Germany occupied Hungary on 19 March 1944, all Hungarian Jews were made to wear yellow stars and forcibly relocated to ghettos. Istvan and his family were deported to a ghetto in Bagolyuk at the beginning of April 1944 and he was conscripted into the ghetto police. In May 1944 Istvan was forced into compulsory military battery service in northern Hungary. Three weeks after his departure, his parents were deported to Auschwitz. His mother was sent to the gas chamber on arrival and his father was deported to Dachau where he was murdered on 27 February 1945.
During an armed uprising, Istvan and other members of the labour battalion were arrested by the Hungarian authorities and deported to Germany. Istvan arrived at Buchenwald concentration camp on 9 November 1944 and was assigned to forced labour as a registered electrician at the Panzerfaust factory in Schlieben. Later, he worked as an electrician in a hospital in Flossberg concentration camp.
He was deported to Mauthausen concentration camp on 13 March 1945. On 5 May 1945 the United States Armed Forces liberated the camp. Istvan returned to Hungary in June 1945 and began to search for family. He discovered that out of 41 relatives, only 5 had survived.
In 1948 he married Agota (Agatha) Halmi and they had two children, Andris (Andrew) and Janos (John).
In 1956 the Katona's fled the Hungarian revolution. They escaped to Austria and sought passage to Australia, but could not travel for six months because their son was sick. During this period the Katona's sought the legal advice of Karl Meth, a practitioner in Vienna, regarding a claim for compensation.
The Katona's arrived in Sydney on 19 June 1957. Istvan changed his name to Stephen and anglicised Katona to Casey.
In 1963 the Casey's pursued compensation from the German government in a claim which spanned almost two decades. Concurrently, they also sought compensation from the Hungarian government. Their claim for compensation for loss of freedom, health, and property was not advanced until the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany Inc. (Claims Conference) took over in the 1990s. The resulting agreement, known as the Article 2 Fund, awarded Stephen with a monthly pension. In 2005 the Casey's received a letter from the Office of the German President, expressing regret that the original claim had not been granted.
Agatha passed away 24 April 2014. Stephen passed away 18 October 2015.
[nb-NO]Date[nb-NO] 1966 - 1969
[nb-NO]Subject[nb-NO]restitution, post-liberation recovery, compensation claims, post-liberation medical problems
[nb-NO]Object name[nb-NO]references
[nb-NO]Material[nb-NO]paper
[nb-NO]Dimensions[nb-NO]
- width: 210.00 mm
height: 266.00 mm
[nb-NO]Language[nb-NO]
- German Ms Agatha Casey (nee Katona) born, Agatha Halmi […] was in the same Jewish Ghetto. Ms. Casey wore the yellow Star of David, she was in Judenhaus, later in a Jewish work battalion. (In October 1944) end of the year we were in Budapest Ghetto until 18 January 1945.
Affidavit of Stephen Casey.
[…]
On 19 March 1944, as the German troops occupied Hungary I lived and worked in Gyöngyös [Hungary]. After 2 weeks I got unemployed and returned back to my parents to Tarnaméra [Hungary], a little village. In the beginning of April the relocation of Jews into ghettos started. From small villages with less Jews, they took these Jews and brought them to a central ghetto. We came together with other Jews from Tarnaméra (seven families) to Bagolyuk (near Eger). I have stayed there with my family until 15 May 1944, when I was sent to do forced labour.
My parents came together with all other Jews to Auschwitz. So far as I know, just one person came back, but since 22 years I have not heard anything about her.
Sydney 21 November 1969
[signed by Stephen Casey]
[confirmed from the German]
Affidavit of Agatha Casey (early Katona and nee Halmi)
[…]
I was born on 2 January 1925 in Budapest. My father is Tibor Halmi and deceased. My mother is nee Alice Rakos. In Budapest i visited the school and in 1939 I had passed my Matura [A levels] at Maria-Theresia girls high school. After that I applied for the faculty of medicine at the University but because of the “Judengesetze” [jews laws] I was rejected. I had to be an apprentice at that time. In 1944 I was forced to wear the “Davidstern” [Jewish badge]. I had to live in so called “jüdischen Haus” [Jewish Houses]. I tried to live illegally with false papers but that was too much pressure and I could not mentally handle this. In the month of October, because of the current decree, I was sent to a work battalion. Later I came in the Budapest Ghetto, where I was until 18 January 1945.
During the time in the labour camp I got a lung infection, and therefore I came to a hospital and a sanatorium for lung diseases, where I was constantly to May 1948. The right lung was treated with pneumothorax. Meanwhile I got spondylitis and had to stay unmoved in a plaster bed.
[…]
[Agatha describes her medical care from 1945 to 1965. She listed also more details about her diseases and her tale of woe in the postwar period.]
After I finished my A levels I could not attend University, because of my origin. After the war my illness prevented my studies. My illness impeded also my sports career, because before 1944 I used to fence and I had a promising future in sports.
[neither signed nor dated]
Note: The letter was not written in perfect German.
Hungarian
[nb-NO]Credit line[nb-NO]Sydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by John Casey
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this archival project.