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ANTISEMITISM ON THE RISE—HUNGARIAN OCCUPATION
- University of Ottawa Press
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ANTISEMITISM ON THE RISEHUNGARIAN OCCUPATION In 1938,there was a mobilization of the whole Czech army. Myfather was not drifted into the army but joined willingly.He felt a sense of duty and loyalty to his country Many members of our family had served in the AustroHungarian military.Mymother thoughtmy fathers prioritieswere askew.She was not shy to disagree with his decision.She claimed he was not an officer and received no benefits.His efforts were needed at home. He did not concur and left the family for about four to six weeks. I was hurt upon discovering that he departed in the night without even saying goodbye. The Hungarians came into Munkacs on 1November 1938,the day of my Bar M:tzvah and my birthday.It was a Shabbos and I attended the early minyan with my father. I was called up to the bimah to read the Haftorah. When the service was over,my parents served a honey cake and schnapps for a / chaim.After the service and the kiddush, around noon, I walked a mile c ut of town with friends. We went to the Spiegel lumberyard in Munkacs, where we followed the Hungarian troops as they filed into Munkacs.There were foot soldiers marching to music played by their military band. They were carrying Hungarian flags, vibrant military banners, and appeared to be very proud.The soldiers' ceremony lasted a little more than an hour. As they marched from the town square, my friends and Ifollowed them until they reached the barracks. Villagers were standing and cheering along the way.Even the bearded Hasidimwere intrigued. It was a mild fall day after Yom Kippur, following the grape harvest. As the platoons approached us, the soldiers asked where they could find postcards and flints. Seizing the opportunityto make some money,the following day I bought postcards in town and sold them to the soldiers for a profit. I dreamt of accomplishment and recognition when engaging in this small business adventure with the Hungarians. The two Hungarianarmy barracks were on the street where I lived.The larger one housed about one thousand soldiers and the other one about five hundred.The officers' building was a beautiful villa with a big garden and chickens and geese roaming the yard. Sometimes I used to steal the chickens.I made a hole under the fence, where I placed corn threaded with a needle.When a chicken spotted the kernel,I pulled on the string and as the chicken approached I grabbed it and ran. My father became acquainted with the cook in the officers'barracks. He used to sell us flour, sugar, and other basic necessities he could snitch. 21 The occupation hurt people in our meagre economic circumstances. Unlike living under the Czechoslovakian government, the poor were not eligible to receive food and health benefits. Social assistance was slashed. We had used this additional subsidy each month to buy bread and other staples. Under the Hungarians,only those who were Hungarian nationals were eligible to receive government assistance.There was definitely a lack of funds, though we still received a subsidy from the Jewish self-help organizations . I remember when there was a change in the currency, people with money approached my father to exchange their money. They gave him Czech koruna,which he traded for Hungarian pengo. People were allowed to exchange only a fixed amount of koruna. My father did not have personal wealth in excess of the amount allotted for the exchange. He made a commission changing the currency for the more financially secure people. By this time, my sister Zsenka was 15,Piri, 14,Bumi, 18,and me, Dudi, 13—a Bar Mitzvah. Zsenka was a seamstress. I worked at Kroo's furniture store and factory carrying lumber,washing windows and floors, and delivering furniture. Mr. Kroo was one of the richest men in town.He had a garden abundant with fruit trees and vegetables. Sometimes I collected a bonus,which was paid in fruits and vegetables.The Kroo family lived across the courtyard from us in a large home that they owned. In Munkacs.as far as I remember, there were no class divisions in the living quarters. Of the rich families in the city, I remember the Spiegels and Jakovers in the lumber business; and the Mermelsteinsand Spiegels in textiles ; and the Kallus and Sajovits families owned the brick factories. I never met the Kallus or Sajovits children.In the Jakover family there were...