Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Larry Brenner - December 13, 1981

But nevertheless we used to... I used to escape from this camps once for a couple hours and I used to visit my aunts and I used to bring some goodies with me back too. So, I say to you that they are not supposed to, but these Hungarian officers, they kind of uh, bribed or whatever or maybe politically motivated the other way too, I don't know. They weren't bad to us. They were pretty good to us. But things, I think, in September when this fellow came to power things start to get real bad. And I was... I don't know why, that I had a hunch that it won't wind up, our stay won't wind up in Budapest, we will be taken also away, away from camp. As when I learned my apprenticeship, I had a Hungarian supervisor, a Gentile, and I felt that he... I was in good relation with him and I felt that he felt good about me and I knew that his political feelings were to the left. He was a union man and uh, so his political feelings was toward the left. And he, a matter of fact, he told... He, he talked many times ill to me about the Nazis.

So, he was anti-fascist.

Anti-fascist. And I got in touch with them and I asked him is there a possibility that he would, if I escape from here if he would hide me in his home. I had a feeling in my head that what he could do... In Hungary, they had big apartments... they had big basements and in each basement they had little compartments, which the coal was stored or wood, and I imagined in my head what he would do to me. I go down there and hide myself there and when everyday he comes down or his wife comes down to, to carry the coal, bring some food and take care of my urinal, you know. And, because that's what things they were done. And I asked him to come over, somehow get in touch with him and send him a card and he came to visit me. And I asked him if he'll do that for me. He was hesitant in beginning, but he says let me talk it over to my wife and I give you an answer. I put my faith, my life in his hand in a way because he could... So, he comes back next Sunday and visits me, says listen, yes, my wife is receptive, but we have a problem. We have a son which is about uh, sixteen, seventeen year old. It doesn't matter, we cannot, we cannot and we will not bring you there if some kid's there, because it doesn't matter our kid is a kid and, and, and finds out and you are through, we are through. Give us a little time, we are going to send him away to the ??? we have relatives there with the, with the excuse that he's been... Since they're bombing Hung... Budapest we want him, the kid to be safe, so we will talk them into... We want to take you to the country to my relatives for safety. And I felt that if they are willing to do for me this one, this, all these things and I'm sure that he meant business otherwise why would he go through all and he wouldn't denounce me. And once Saturday comes everything is okay. I come Sunday and Sunday is coming and then I take you to my home. That Saturday night--he came Saturday to visit me--that Saturday night and we didn't know what happening, and all of a sudden in the middle of the night they wake us up and we are surrounded with Nazis with this, with this, uh...