Appr. 550,000 Hungarian Jews were killed in the Holocaust, most were transported to Auschwitz over a 2 month period (May-July 1944), 1000s of others were killed in the last days of the War by Hungarian paramilitary as Soviet troops battled Axis troops in the City of Budapest. Laszlo Balazs’ father, stepmother, brother, all aunts->killed, Eva Rado’s father, mother killed. They married in Montreal, Canada in 1953 and had 3 children, Edward, Stephen and Thomas

Budapest- Belle Epoque

Budapest and the Jewish Population 1900 –20% Budapest Population – Jewish (only 5% of the total population of Hungary)- –By 1910 ½ of all doctors and lawyers,1/3 rd of all engineers, ¼ artists and writers in Budapest->Jewish –1912 Jewish Mayor Approx. 500k Population in Budapest, Approx 825k Hungary

Joseph II->emancipated, last name Breslauer, 1922->Balazs

WWI- –Habsburg Empire Brief Communist Interlude –133 days of Communism- Bela Kun (jewish) Fascism –Resentment Treaty of Trianon –1 st Fascist State- Admiral Horthy Becoming Hungarian Land claims- Romania, Croatia (Greater Hungary) 9/1/39- Germans invade Poland- beginning WWI

Axis- The War Hungary joins Germany 1942 Hungary conscripts Jews labor March Nazi Occupy July 1944 – Horthy stops deportations October Arrow Cross December Russian Siege- Budapest Liberated Jan Raoul Wallenberg- Swedish Diplomat saved 1000s including Laszlo Balazs and Eva Rado

Forced labor camps

2002 Budapest Hungary

Jewish Couple Budapest

Arrow cross-Hungarian Nazis

Jewish victims of the Arrow Cross

Hero- Raoul Wallenberg

Victims of Jewish Ghetto

Arrivals

437,402 Jews from fifty-five Hungarian localities were deported to Auschwitz in 147 trains. Most were gassed at Birkenau soon after they arrived.

Christmas and life at Auschwitz for the personnel

The railroad system was stretched to its limits to keep up with the demand of the camp, where as many as 12,000 people a day were being gassed

- Auschwitz->350k+ Hungarians killed, 500k deported -More Hungarians killed at Auschwitz than any other Nationality -Last Days 1000s killed daily- crematoriums no longer viable -Mass trench executionsTotal deaths  Approx. 500k of 800k Hungarian Jews

Deportation

Child Tattooed at Auschwitz

Barracks->Auschwitz

Evidence Room-Auschwitz

Some people later claimed the Holocaust is overstated because the crematorium couldn’t handle 12,000 a day—they’re right—the crematoriums weren’t used—the bodies were thrown in to pits and burned as a pyre Killing Fields-Auschwitz

Crematoriums-Auschwitz

Hall of lost families-Auschwitz

Prague Synagogue-memorial.

Auschwitz survivor, her two children and husband didn’t.

Survived 2+ years in a Soviet POW camp— upon arriving home, found out that his 2 yr old child and wife were killed at Auschwitz- he hadn’t known they were even deported

Legacy-Holocaust Anti-Semitism was prevalent throughout Europe –Perpetrators were not only German –Far more perpetrators than rescuers –Average people commit horrendous acts