Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Eva Cigler - March 17, 1982

Jewish Community Leaders

Were there any um, rabbis or leaders of, in Beregszász that you remember who were, set up a council at the time the Hungarians came in.

I'm uh, sure they set up the council but uh, I didn't pay attention that time what's going really on.

Do you remember a Judenrat, Judenrat?

Judenrat.

Mm-hm.

There?

Yes.

In Beregszász.

Leaders of the community.

Oh yeah, there was uh, even my brother-in-law, who is now my brother-in-law, he was a big leader with the Betar and he was in a Jewish Council there. His name was ???. And he helped out plenty people who he could to uh, get to Czechoslovakia. And from Czechoslovakia the Jewish organization helped them to go to Israel.

Oh. So that was their main function.

Yeah, main function.

Uh, what years was that? Right after '38,

Yes.

Thirty nine?

No, right after thirty...

And then afterward what happened to the...

But when I went to Israel I find that thing that they all safely uh, arrive there, but they went through a lot of hell.

to get there

To get there, yes.

Their lives were not so easy either.

No, because uh, they didn't want the boat should go in. And in a boat there was fighting. And uh, they went to Cyprus I think. And after that uh, they went to Israel. Because the Eng...I think the English...

Helped them.

No! They didn't help them, they didn't want...

Mm-hm.

they should uh, go to Palestine that time.


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