Merei family papers

Document | Accession Number: 2015.571.1

The collection primarily documents the wartime and post-war experiences of Ernö and Ernestine (née Munk) Merei and their son John of Budapest, Hungary as they fled the country after Germany invaded in 1944. The papers document the Merei’s trip out of Hungary on a train known as the Kasztner transport; their detainment at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and their eventual release to Switzerland; and their immigration to the United States in 1946. Included are biographical material, identification papers, naturalization certificates, restitution claims, correspondence, and photographs. There is also some material related to the Munk and Breuer families.

The biographical materials contain papers related to Ernö and Ernestine Merei, their son John, Ernö’s brother Ladislav Merei and his wife Luba, his father Samu Marmorstein, and Ernestine’s father Gabor Munk. Included are birth certificates, identification papers, naturalization certificates, restitution claims, Ernö’s autobiography, and a research paper on the Kasztner transport by John’s daughter DeAnne Merey. Ernö’s wartime papers include documents regarding their safe deposit box in Lausanne, Switzerland; Ernö’s ineligibility for the Hungarian draft; a certificate regarding Ernö’s cousin Andor Vandor in El Salvador; and permission to travel.

The correspondence primarily consists of letters from Ernö and Ernestine Merei and Andor Vandor in Budapest to Ladislav Merei in the United States, 1939-1941. There are also small amounts of correspondence to Ernö Merei, Ernestine Merei, and Lily and Tibor Breuer.

The photographs document the Merei, Munk, and Breuer families. There are prewar, wartime, and postwar photographs, and Included are childhood albums of Ernö Merei and Daisy Breuer along with an album of Ladislav and Luba Merei.

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Date: inclusive: 1890-1991
Language: Hungarian
English
German
Genre/Form: Photographs.
Photograph albums.
Correspondence.
Extent: 2 boxes
2 oversize boxes
2 oversize folders
Credit Line: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of John and Daisy Merey

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Document Creator: John Merey
Daisy Merey
Biography: John Merei (later John Merey, b. 1940) was born in Budapest, Hungary to Ernö (Born Ernö Marmorstein, later Ernest Merey; 1897-) and Ernestine (née Munk, b. 1904) Merei. Ernö had one brother, Ladislav Merei (1900-1979), who immigrated to the United States in 1939. Ernö was a civil engineer, and Ernestine’s father, Gabor Munk, was the Hungarian distributer for the Manor chocolate company. The family lived in Budapest until Germany invaded Hungary on March 19, 1944. Ernestine’s brother-in-law Nisan Kahane learned of the planned transport out of Hungary organized by Rezső Kasztner, and 14 family members were able to book passage. They left Budapest on June 30, 1944, and the train traveled for several days before stopping at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. There, the Hungarian Jews were kept apart from the other prisoners. After six weeks, 11 of John’s family members were released, but John and his parents remained in the camp until December 3, 1944, when they were released on a second transport to Switzerland. They arrived in St. Gallen, and then went to Montreux. The Merei family was sponsored by Ernö‘s brother Ladislav for immigration to the United States, and they arrived on April 27, 1946 aboard the S.S. Walter M. Christiansen. They settled in New York City. John later married Daisy Breuer and become a doctor.

Daisy Breuer (later Daisy Merei) is the daughter of Lily (née Roth) and Tibor Breuer. Lily and Tibor both grew up in Hungary. Tibor went to Italy to study medicine in Padua and Genoa. They married on a trip back to Budapest, and settled in Genoa where Tibor practiced dentistry and Lily cosmetology. Increasing antisemitism began to make their lives difficult. They then received notice that they had 48 hours to leave the country. They took a boat to Spain, but were not permitted to work. A 1923 treaty following WWI allowed citizens of Austro-Hungary to enter Tangier, Morocco without a visa, so Lily and Tibor arrived there by 1943. Tibor established a new dentistry practice, and Daisy was born soon after. The family remained in Tangier until the mid-1950s when they immigrated to the United States. Daisy attended Barnard College and medical school. Lily’s grandparents in Budapest were deported to Auschwitz where they perished.
System of Arrangement: The collection is arranged alphabetically as three series: Series 1: Biographical materials, 1890-1991; Series 2: Correspondence, 1939-1969; Series 3: Photographs, circa 1900-circa 1987
Topical Term: World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Rescue--Hungary--Budapest.
Jewish families--Hungary--Budapest.
Holocaust survivors.
Holocaust (1939-1945)--Personal narratives.
Emigration & immigration--United States--1940-1950.
Geographic Name: Budapest (Hungary)
Tangier (Morocco)
Switzerland.
Personal Name: Merei, Ernö, 1897-
Merei, Ernestine, 1904-
Merei, Ladislav, 1900-1979.
Merey, John, 1940-
Merey, Daisy.
Breuer, Lily.
Breuer, Tibor.
Kasztner, Rezső Rudolf, 1906-1957.
Corporate Name: Bergen-Belsen (Concentration camp)
Holder of Originals: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Legal Status: Permanent Collection
Provenance: Donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum by John and Daisy Merey in October 2015.
Related Materials: Additional Accession Number: 2022.148
Conditions on Access: There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
Conditions on Use: Material(s) in this collection may be protected by copyright and/or related rights. You do not require further permission from the Museum to use this material. The user is solely responsible for making a determination as to if and how the material may be used.
: Record last modified: 2023-03-01 08:14:54
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn610207

Also in Merei family collection

Lecture by John Merey

Oral History

Presentation by John Merey at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute as part of Columbia University's Ulrich Ollendorff, MD lecture series. Born in Budapest, Hungary, Dr. Merey discusses how he and his family survived the Holocaust as part of the Kasztner Group, immigrating to the United States in 1946.