It is well-known that Hungary was an ally of Germany and Italy in World War II.
When the German army went against the Soviet Union, the Hungarian army followed. Jewish men were taken and placed into forced labor battalions, and they went with the army. My father was taken as well and was killed by the Hungarian Nazis.
For the most part, Hungarian Jews were not taken out of the country and sent to concentration camps and killing centers, like the Jews of other European countries, until 1944.
By the start of that year, the Hungarian leader Miklós Horthy realized that the Axis powers were losing the war, and he wanted to get out of the alliance. The Germans learned about his plan and occupied Hungary. That was catastrophic for the Hungarian Jews. They were collected from all over the country and placed into closed transit ghettos. From there, most were deported to Auschwitz in German-occupied Poland, where the Germans established killing centers. Hungarian authorities helped coordinate the deportations and Hungarian gendarmes and Hungarian Nazis provided the manpower. When the deportations to Auschwitz were stopped, only the Jews of Budapest were left. The Arrow Cross—a fascist, antisemitic Hungarian political party—came to power in October 1944 and terrorized, killed, and deported Jews remaining in Budapest. I like to call members of the Arrow Cross Hungarian Nazis. This happened during a very short time—between March 19, 1944, and the capture of Budapest by the Soviet army in January and February 1945.
In 2025, we celebrated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. I think we also need to remember those who made it possible for many thousands of Jews not to go to Auschwitz. Two of them, Raoul Wallenberg and Carl Lutz, were such heroes.
Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish businessman who came to Hungary as a diplomat to help rescue Jews. He gave out protective papers to Hungarian Jews in order to save more lives. He created so-called safe houses for Jews. He claimed that these houses were protected by Sweden. He also interfered with deportation orders. It was tragic that the Soviet army took him to Russia, where he died in custody.
His name is well-known, and streets are named after him in Washington, DC, and Budapest.
Carl Lutz was a Swiss diplomat. He also gave out protective papers, official and false, to Jews. My father-in-law was an excellent artist, and he forged German signatures for the Swiss diplomat. Carl Lutz also designated safe houses. My mother, my grandparents, my aunt, my uncle, and I lived in one of the safe houses for a while, until we moved to the so-called glass house. That building belonged to the Swiss embassy and was guarded by police.
Having guards made a big difference, as Hungarian Nazis went to the safe houses, rounded up Jews, took them to the river Danube, and shot them into the river. My grandfather was taken from the safe house, sent on a death march, and they killed him.
Both Wallenberg and Lutz acted because of their humanity, and they both saved many lives. Lutz saved me and my close family. I am sure that I am not the only one among the survivors he saved.
But I do not think Lutz has been appreciated as much as he deserves, not even by the Museum.
His actions could be acknowledged in a more visible, more serious way.
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