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[Page ii]

This book is dedicated to the martyrs of Kaszony who died in the Holocaust, among them:

My father: Elias Einczig
My mother: Matilda Einczig
My brother: Miklos
My brother: Lajos, his wife Piroska and their daughter Judith
My sister: Terez, her husband Dezso Rapaport and their son, Imr
e

Cover Design: Courtesy of Temple Israel of Great Neck.


[Page v]

Forward

This book is the result of a collective effort of a group of Kaszonyers living in three countries: Israel, the United States and Hungary.

Whenever we could locate somebody from a family, we asked them to provide the necessary information. Whenever that couldn't be done, we relied on the memories of the following people:

In Israel: In the United States: In Hungary:
Imre Ackerman Nandor Ackerman Sari Auspitz
Rozsi Fendrich Rozsi Ackerman Juliska Einczig
Iren Gartenberg Jozsi (Einczig) Eden Riza Glaub
Vera Grosz David Felberbaum Erno Klein
Siku Klein Viola Gotteszman Bozsi Lebovics
Burch Pinkovics Magda Iczkovics Ilus Lebovics
Sanyi Rapaport Zsuzsi Roth Hermina Teitelbaum
Rezsi Veres Samson Feder  

The facts for the narrative part of this booklet were gathered by the author from the archives of “Yad Vashem” in Jerusalem, from the “Judaism” section of the New York Public Library, from the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York (with the help of Dr. Arnon Yardeni), and from the Szecsenyi Library in Budapest, Hungary. This booklet was written with very specific goals in mind:

  1. To preserve the memory of Kaszony's martyrs for future generations;
  2. To answer questions which our descendants may ask such as: Who were my ancestors? How did they live? What happened to them?
  3. To add, in a small way, to the record which is still being compiled of that period in our history known as the Holocaust. Every bit of testimony like this can make it more difficult for it to be claimed that these things never happened!
  4. To serve as a reminder for future generations not to take their freedom for granted. Jewish survival needs to be guarded constantly through Jewish education, support of Jewish institutions and by support of the State of Israel.
The choice of a language for this book posed additional problems. Should it be written in Hebrew, Yiddish, Hungarian or English? An argument can be made in favour of any of the above–mentioned languages. I finally settled on English; a language which will allow it to reach the greatest number of Kaszony descendants worldwide.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who contributed to this publication including Mrs. Betty Steinhart for typing and editing; Temple Israel of Great Neck for helping us with the art work for the book cover; Mr. Abe Malin for preparing this book for publication; Tom and Zsuzsi Ackerman for editing and last, but not least, my wife Vera whose advice and active participation made this publication possible.


[Page 1]

Chapter 1

I Remember Jewish Life in Kaszony

by Joseph Eden (Einczig)

I was born in Kaszony in the year 1920 just after World War I when things started to settle down under the new Czechoslovak regime.

My father's clothing store was right on the main village square. Every afternoon the older people of the village, both the Jews and the non–Jews, would sit just outside the store, joking, gossiping and discussing present and future politics.

As a child, I was fascinated as I listened to their stories about the Austro–Hungarian monarchy, life during the war, the recovery and the world–wide depression. Anti–Semitism was never mentioned. I got the impression that during our parent's lifetime it had never been a serious problem in our village. Of course, in the late thirties all this began to change.

The rule of Franz Joseph I, the Emperor and King of the Austro–Hungarian Empire, was characterized as the “good old times”. Kaszony was the trade and administrative centre for twenty–seven smaller villages whose populations were completely dependent on Kaszony for selling their agricultural products and buying industrial necessities. Kaszony businesses, which were mostly in Jewish hands, were booming. There was plenty of everything for everybody.

In 1914, Hungary entered World War I. All able–bodied men were recruited into the Hungarian army; Jews and non–Jews alike. Of 41 Jews who fought in the war, 15 never returned. (See their names on page 3). Kaszony received its share of refugees from Poland and Rumania. Some of them decided to stay for good.

After the war, Kaszony experienced the same events as the rest of sub–Carpathian: from monarchy to liberal republic to communism. After a short Rumanian occupation, the Czechs established themselves in power for the following eighteen years.

Under the Czech regime, Kaszony went through great changes. The Czechoslovakia–Hungarian border was established right outside the village, cutting off two–thirds of the satellite villages. Even the vineyards, which were the main means of employment for the population, were divided, right down the middle. One side of the road belonged to Czechoslovakia; the other to Hungary. To visit a neighbouring village like Barabas, for instance, a passport was needed and one had to go through two border check–points. Life became more complicated and difficult. Many people became unemployed or under–employed. Some of the stores closed; others struggled for survival. Many of the workers joined the communist and socialist parties in the hope of changing things. These developments culminated in the first half of the 1930's in a world–wide depression during which many businesses went bankrupt and families were without bread and other basic necessities.

[Page 2]

Socially, the Jewish population which constituted about 20% of the general population of 2,500 consisted of different “castes”. Approximately 20% were families that did not own any property, not even their own homes. Their only product for sale was non–skilled physical labour. Their living depended completely on supply and demand. Many of them very often needed help from the government or from the Jewish community.

The largest group, 65%, owned small stores and workshops. They usually owned their own homes and had a marketable skill which more or less took care of the basic needs of their families in good times or in bad. This group included the butchers, bakers, tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, sheet metal workers and painters. To this group may be added the small storekeepers such as clothing and shoe–store owners, grocers, small innkeepers, etc. They were all completely dependent on the favourable economic conditions of the general population. Everybody knew everybody in the village personally and most of the orders and purchases were done on a credit basis. Therefore, in bad times, everybody suffered.

The third and smallest group, about 15%, consisted of the intellectuals, big businessmen and wealthy property owners. To be considered part of the intellectual group, all that was needed was a secondary school education or employment by the state or a bank. To this group also belonged the doctors, lawyers and pharmacists. The wealthy property owners included the owners of lumberyards, of the mill and those in possession of at least a hundred acres of land where hired workers produced wheat, corn, tobacco or wine in large quantities. A few Jewish families accumulated over generations, hundreds and even thousands of acres of land and vineyards. One such family even had its own bank.

The Jewish families had settled in Kaszony over a long period of time. The first Jewish settlers arrived in the 18th century from Poland and were permitted to settle on the estate of Count Schoenborn and Count Lonyai. Jews having at least an elementary education were hired by the feudal landowners as bookkeepers and supervisors.

The Jews soon adopted the Hungarian language which was the exclusive language of the general population. But Yiddish remained the language of communication between themselves and other Jews throughout Europe.

[Page 3]

 

 

Jewish Veterans of World War I

Translated by Judy Petersen

  Surname First name(s) Rank
1. AKERMANN Lipót Sergeant
2. KLEIN Sámuel Private, Károly Division
3.* EINZIG (Mrs. Lajos)  
4.* FRIEDRICH (Mrs. Herman)  
5.* HERSKOVITS (Mrs. Henrik)  
6.* KIS Béla Ensign
7.* VINKLER Lajos Private first class
8.* EINZIG Lajos Private
9.* WALLENSTEIN Izidor Private
10.* HERSCHKOVITS Henrik Private
11.* ROSENBERG Fülöp Private
12.* KLEIN Jenő Private
13.* KLEIN Samu Private
14.* GLAUB Lajos Private
15.* ROSENBERG Mór Private
16.* FENDRICH Herman Private
17.* DICKER Adolf Private
18. KOVÁNYI Mór First Lieutenant; veterinarian
19. ACKERMANN Lipót Private first class
20. RÓTH Dezső cannon operator
21. KLEIN Miksa Sergeant
22. RAPAPORT Vilmos Sergeant
23. KLEIN Mihály Corporal
24. ICZKOVICS Sándor Corporal
25. KLEIN Henrik Corporal
26. ACKERMANN Zoltán infantryman
27. ÁDLER Menyhért artilleryman
28. BURGER Géza Sergeant
29. EICZIG Eliás Calvary
30. EICZIG Lajos Private
31. FENDRICH Herman Private
32. FRIEDMANN Herman infantryman
33. FENDRICH Dezső infantryman
34. FEDER Jenő infantryman
35. GOTTESMAYER Márton Lieutenant
36. GRÜNBERGER Aladár infantryman
37. GLAUB Herman infantryman
38. GROSZ Sámuel infantryman
39. KLEIN Vilmos radio/telegraph operator
40. KLEIN Sámuel infantryman
41. RÓTH Károly infantryman

From the “Golden Book” Published in Budapest in 1941

* Died in World War I

 

[Page 4]

 

The Enczig movie theatre “Lidove Kino”
(Peoples Movie Theatre)

 

Eszti Einczig – left Kaszony to the USA in 1939

 

On Kaszony Tennis Court
First line: Erzsike Roth, Klein Menyus (Moric), Klein Loli, unknown, Klein Anka, unknown, Dr. Klein Pista and Fendrich Lala
Second and third line: unknown, Dr. Klein Bela, Klein Vilmos, Klein Laci, Klein Ilonka, Fendrich Sari, unknown, Klein Ilonka (Gyuri), unknown, Roth Olga, unknown

 

[Page 5]

 

The Seamstress Salon of Jolan Braun
Magda Espan, Ilon Grosz, Jolan Braun, Margit Braun, Eszti Einczig and Aliz Braun

 

Avigdor Hameiri. The Famous Hebrew Poet in Kaszony
Upper row: Herbstman Aranka, Rapaport Dezso, Fendrich Marton, Herbstman Sari, Lefkovics Sari, Waldman Bozsi, Avigdor Hameiri, Waldman Rozsi, Herbstman Lili, Winkler Sanyi, Waldman Annus, Waldman Iren, Herbstman Sanyi

 

[Page 6]

Young People of Kaszony in the 1930's

 
Jeno Ackerman, Jozsi Einczig, Berti Klein* Andi Weisz and Abi Weisz   Erno Einczig (disappeared in Budapest), Sanyi Rapaort (survived in Budapest) and Jozsi Lebovics (was murdered in Auschwitz)

 

1st line: Yossi Roth, Jozsi Grosz, Yoyni Pinkovics (survived in Palestine). Erno Lebovics (survived in Palestine), Bela Klein*, Moric Ackerman*, Yosef–Vari Pinkovics (survived in Palestine), Bela Teitelbaum*, Yossi Fendrich (survived in Palestine), Sanyi Lebovics, Sanyi Grosz*, Imre Iczkovics*, Miki Iczkovics

* died in Labour Camp

 

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