Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Magda Beer - July 5, 1983

Moving to the United States

This was probably like from 1948 or something like that to '56?

No, this was in '48, or something like that, to '56. Fifty-six uh, I remember it was '57 January a woman came our house and said that the relatives from America, they want us and we can escape if you want--seven people. It's my brother-in-law, my sister-in-law, their children, their one girl...

Woman: One girl... A:...my mother, my husband, myself and Peter, my son. Seven persons.

And your mother was still alive?

Oh, yes.

Woman: And we paid $2100 or $2200. We sent from here somebody to Hungary. We had connections and brought them over to us ???

Let me go back. How are you related to each other again?

Woman: Okay, she remarried.

Right when did you remarry?

In--I remarried it's uh, thirty-two years.

Fifty-one?

Uh, thirty--'51 June 4th.

And that's Beer, that's the name?

That's Beer, that's Alex.

Woman: That's my husband's sister's son.

Okay, and Mrs. Klein my aunt--a young aunt, okay?

Okay, your husband's sister's son?

My--her husband and my husband related. He was the uncle of my husband

Okay, I've got it.

Woman: I am the aunt by marriage, but my husband was the real uncle.

I see, I see. Your husband was his uncle--he was his nephew--your husband--Mr. Klein's nephew was your husband. Okay.

Exactly. The Klein's cousins--my husband--my second husband.

So, so you moved there--what was your husband, what did he do?

He was working in ???

Woman: Here or there?

No, in, in Budapest. He was still in Budapest 'til '57?

Oh, we are still in Budapest. In '57 he was employed but before he had uh, uh, a store--what kind of store? It's uh, screws and nuts and...

Hardware?

Hardware store, that's it, hardware.

And you didn't work for him though?

No.

Woman: The Communists, they took away everything so they had to go.

And my husband was uh, employed too and lost uh, four years, four years.


© Board of Regents University of Michigan-Dearborn