My wife was born in Budapest in 1943. Her mother wrote two long letters=20
telling her family how they survived after contact was lost during the=20
war years.
When the Hungarian government was overthrown and the arrowcross nazis=20
took over, resulting in death and deportation of half of the Jews in=20
Hungary. Sue and her mother survived by a miracle. Her father was taken=20
to a work camp. He did manage to get exit papers, which saved their=20
lives.
15/10/1944 her mother was taken to the notorious brick factory. The=20
children were left behind. They spent a night there. The next day, some=20
of the mothers were waiting when a man called out asking if any of the=20
people had catholic protestion passports. Those who did were taken back=20
over the river in a Ferry (The bridges were destroyed), and she and Sue=20
were housed in an elegant 9 story building. Was it called a=20
"yellow-star" house, she does not say. Before this time they were houses=20
in Jews-only housing before that terrible night in the brick factory,=20
out of which very few Jews escaped.
They lived in this elegantsafe house, as the Russians slowly took over=20
Hungary. Towards they end of the siege food wasn't available. Sue's=20
father did return one last time, and they were moved to a different=20
"safe-house" as Budapest was bombed and shelled, and they starved. A man=20
who was hiding, dressed as a woman found them and found some food for=20
them, so they survived the seige.

The letters have been translated >from German into English and Hebrew and=20
are posted with Yad V'shem.

Joe & Sue Gilad, Netanya