Steven Fenves papers

Steven Fenves was born Steven Joseph Fenjves on June 6, 1931 in Subotica, Yugoslavia (Subotica, Serbia) to Lajos and Klári Fenjves. His father, Lajos (Louis, 1890-1946), was a World War I veteran and managed a newspaper printing plant, and his mother, Klári (Klara, 1897-1944), was a graphic artist. Steven had one sister: Estera Fenjves (later Estera Votaw, 1929-2012). The family was wealthy and spoke Hungarian at home. Steven was also taught German. His family attended a Reform Jewish congregation and did not keep kosher.

Yugoslavia was invaded and occupied by a coalition of Axis military units on April 6, 1941, and five days later Subotica fell under Hungarian occupation. Lajos’ business was Aryanized, and the family was later forced to share their home with Hungarian officers. In March 1944, Germany occupied Hungary and Yugoslavia. Lajos was deported to Auschwitz in April, and Steven, his sister, mother, and maternal grandmother were forced into the Subotica ghetto in May. On June 16, 1944 they were deported to Bácsalmás transit camp and then Auschwitz II (Auschwitz-Birkenau).

Steven, Estera, and Klári survived selection, but his grandmother was murdered soon after arrival. Klári died several weeks later. Steven was selected to work as an interpreter for the German Kapos, and also learned Polish while in the barracks. He was involved in resistance efforts within the camp. In October 1944 he was smuggled out of Auschwitz-Birkenau to the Niederorschel subcamp of Buchenwald. There he worked with other prisoners on an assembly line producing wings for fighter planes. Steven continued to be involved in resistance efforts while at Niederorschel. On April 1, 1945 the remaining prisoners were sent on a death march toward Buchenwald as Allied forces approached. Steven was liberated by American soldiers at Buchenwald on April 11.

Steven’s sister was liberated from Bergen-Belsen, and they were reunited with their father in Subotica after the war. Lajos died in 1946, and the siblings fled communist Yugoslavia to Paris, France in 1947. They both immigrated to the United States in 1950 and settled in Chicago. Steven studied and had a career in the computing field. After he retired he worked as a volunteer at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.