“The first time I saw my father cry” – ego-documents by children from the Szeged region on the Holocaust

Abstract

ABSTRACT Szeged was the main deportation centre for Southern Hungary, in June 1944 three trains departed from here. The first train went to Auschwitz, where most people were killed upon arrival. The second train was uncoupled, half going to Auschwitz. The train’s second half and the third transport ended up in Strasshof near Vienna, where most people survived. The setup of these transports resulted in Szeged’s Jewry having an exceptionally high survival rate, including children and elderly. The current paper serves as a collection of ego-documents by Jewish children from Szeged, their lives in concentration camps, and their immediate post-war lives.