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,1/3rd

of all engineers, ¼ artists and writers in Budapest->Jewish

– 1912 Jewish Mayor

• 1940- Approx. 500k Population in Budapest, Approx 825k Hungary

• Joseph II->emancipated, 1848- last name Breslauer, 1922->Balazs

1914-1940• WWI-

– Habsburg Empire

• Brief Communist Interlude– 133 days of Communism- Bela Kun (jewish)

• Fascism– Resentment Treaty of Trianon

– 1st Fascist State- Admiral Horthy

• Becoming Hungarian• Land claims- Romania, Croatia (Greater

Hungary)• 9/1/39- Germans invade Poland- beginning

WWI

1941-1945• Axis- The War- 1941 Hungary joins Germany• 1942 Hungary conscripts Jews labor• March 1944- Nazi Occupy• July 1944 – Horthy stops deportations• October 1944- Arrow Cross• December 1944- Russian Siege- Budapest

Liberated Jan. 1945• 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 deathsApprox. 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 pyreKilling 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