Vera Herz papers

Vera Herz (neé Spitz, 1929-2011) was born on October 1, 1929 in Debrecen, Hungary to Bela (b. December 31, 1898) and Irene Spitz (neé Rosenfeld). Prior to 1944, her parents owned a wholesale grocery business. Vera was initially educated at a Jewish school but she later transferred to a vocational school where she learned dress and pattern making. With the German invasion of Hungry in March 1944, the family lost their grocery business and Vera was forced to stop attending school. On May 9, 1944, the ghetto of Debrecen was created and the boundaries incorporated the Spitz’s house. Sometime between May and June 1944, Bela was separated from the family and sent to do forced labor. On June 20, 1944 the Debrecen ghetto was liquidated and the Spitz family, along with all the other Jews from the ghetto, were sent to the Serly brickyard. Vera, her younger brother Andrew, and their mother Irene were deported on either June 26th or June 27th and transported to Strasshof, near Vienna, Austria. For a week, the family was forced into physical labor at a stone quarry before they were sent to Vienna to work in a munitions factory where they constructed anti-aircraft weapons. The Spitz family was in Vienna for ten months before being transported back to Stasshof in April 1945. The family was eventually liberated by the Russians and traveled to Rothschild Hospital in Vienna which served as an initial gathering place for displaced Jews. With help from Jewish organizations, the Spitz family returned to Debrecen where they discovered their home and business were gone. However, they received notification that Bela had survived and was located at the Eggenfelden displaced persons camp in Germany. The family was reunited at Eggenfelden in 1946. Vera taught dress and pattern making at the Eggenfelden ORT school. While at Eggenfelden, Vera and Andrew took English lessons. Apparently, their tutor developed a crush on Vera but she rejected him. In retaliation, the unnamed tutor reported to the Occupational Forces that her father was a Communist. As a result, her parents were denied their request to immigrate to the United States. Despite her parents being unable to emigrate, Vera and Andrew Spitz immigrated to the United States in March 1950. Vera worked in the garment district of New York. In 1955, after continual appeals, Bela and Irene Spitz were granted permission to join their children in the United States. In 1954, Vera married Eugene Herz. Together they had two children, Martin and Dan Herz. Vera died in Illinois on June 17, 2011.