Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Magda Beer - July 5, 1983

Mm-hm.

And then we went to the ghetto. I was two days in the basement in my old uh, apartment. There was very nice lady that take uh, food to me. I was in the dark for two days you know because I scared that somebody will come and take me. This time I wasn't going to ???.

This was when you left the factory?

Yes.

Before you found--went back to find your mother?

Yeah. Anyways, and then we were in the ghetto. This was the most terrible thing. I remember one thing, when the chairman has to escape, and, you know, Hungary, in the basement, was a little way to the other house, you know?

Woman: Like a tunnel.

Yeah, like a tunnel. And my mother was sitting here and my, my mother-in-law here my little son here and suddenly I see it's coming German soldiers and I said, "Please don't uh," ??? but they only escaped. They went through...

Mm-hm. A:...on the ghetto, you know...

Mm-hm. A:...because they wanted to, wanted to escape, too.

So, you were actually hiding in the basement?

Yes, this was the ghetto.

Yeah, but you were hiding there? No one knew. Did anyone know you were in that basement?

You know, the young people has to go out and I was that--I was young. All old people was there, and little children. Maybe one more woman was about my age in the house. And uh, I was hiding there because, you know, they don't care.

Woman: ???

How did you get food?

Uh, the Jewish, uh ??? how do you call it?

Woman: The ??? federation.

The Judenrat?

Yeah, yeah they gave big ???. It was soup and the children get some ??? whatever corn, you know, what they can give.

So you would go out to get the food and come back?

Not we, men. Two men went to the ghetto, every section, you know, and yes and they get the food.

Woman: ???

So you were there, what, six months?

We were there exactly--let me think. From October 15 was the proclamation, right? In Hungary from, from the president. And October 16 started the ghetto 'til January 15. Yes. January fifteen we went upstairs--not me, I was staying in the basement--and, and the Russians come, I don't want to tell. I can't.

Woman: They raped every woman.

Not me, I was in the basement.

You hid?

Yes.

And...

They didn't care it was old, or young or middle aged.

Woman: They raped.

Yeah.