Item 25: Holocaust survivors from Hungary ; Veronica Honig interviewed by Herta Imhof, 1990

MLOH 500/158-159

item

24/07/1990

Nonmusical Sound Recordings, Oral Histories

997342

Sound Recording : CY MLOH 500/158-159

2 sound cassettes (2 hrs.)

Veronica Honig, nee Weisz, was born in Mateszalka, Hungary, in 1927. Her father managed a flour mill and they had a beautiful home with servants. The mill was taken over in 1943 and Veronica's father was sent to Budapest to work.

In March 1944 the Germans entered Hungary and in April Veronica and her family were forced to move into the ghetto in Mateszalka.In June the ghetto was cleared and Veronica was transported to Auschwitz concentration camp, Poland. There was no work but two roll calls were conducted each day. Veronica was sick with pneumonia and spent 4 days in the camp hospital where Mengele visited daily.

After 6 weeks in Auschwitz Veronica was amongst a group of about 400 Jewish women selected for work in the aircraft factory at Boizenburg, Germany. There was very little work to do because of the shortage of raw materials. At the end of April, 1945, the women were evacuated and marched away from the approaching Russians.

Veronica was liberated by the Americans at Ludwigslust. She returned home by train via Berlin, Warsaw and Tatras, and was fed by the Red Cross at train stations along the way.

Veronica was reunited with father at Mateszalka. She went back to school to matriculate and studied for two years at university. Later she was married and migrated to Australia, via Austria, in 1950.

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Log of interview available in the Mitchell Library Reading Room -

Original Mitchell Library allocated tape number 83.