Esther R. Holocaust testimony (HVT-803)

Videotape testimony of Esther R., who was born in Košice, Czechoslovakia in 1932. She recounts Hungarian occupation in 1938, resulting in her father losing his business; their move to Sàtoraljaújhely; her father hiding in 1942 to avoid forced labor; visiting him in Budapest in 1943; German invasion in March 1944; being smuggled to Budapest to join her father; her parents dispersing the four children and themselves to various hiding places with the help of non-Jews; her mother, then her father, joining her toward the end of the war; and liberation by Soviet troops. Mrs. R. recalls reunion with her siblings; choosing not to attend Hungarian school; Zionist group activities; emigration with her family to the United States in 1948; marriage; and the birth of three daughters and many grandchildren. She notes the personal effects of the Holocaust: total disruption of her life; continuing fears; openness to the suffering of others; and loss of faith in humanity.