White armband embroidered with prisoner number worn by a Hungarian slave laborer

Terez Gruenberger was born on June 5, 1921, in Mukacevo, Czechoslovakia (Mukacheve, Ukraine), to Zsigmund and Roszi (Roza) Gruenberger Schonfeld. Roza was born on September 18, 1893, in Brestovo, Czechoslovakia, to Ludvik and Zeni Neiman Gruenberger. She was a shoe designer. Zsigmund was born in 1887 in Kisvarda, Hungary. The couple owned a specialty shop for orthopedic shoes in Budafok, Hungary, and hand made all the shoes. Terez’s sister, Miriam, was born on February 26, 1923. Zsigmund died in 1928 and Terez, her mother, and sister moved back to Mukacevo to live with Terez’s maternal grandparents, Ludvik and Zeni Gruenberger. Roza supported the family by hand making specialty shoes. Terez attended public school, where she learned German. She also learned to play the violin. The family observed Shabbat every week and celebrated the holidays. In 1938, Mukacevo and the surrounding region of Czechoslovakia were annexed by Hungary and the name was changed to Munkacs. Terez finished school and began working as a cosmetician at a beauty school. The Hungarians were more anti-Semitic but their lives continued normally. Terez encouraged the family to adopt a child, and her grandmother Zeni adopted a Jewish orphan, six year old Shmuel.

Hungary had anti-Jewish laws similar to those of its ally, Nazi Germany. In 1940, Miriam went to Budapest to stay with her stepsister from their father’s first marriage. Roza later wrote to tell her to stay there, as it was safer. Hungary participated in the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. After the German retreat from Stalingrad In early 1943, Hungary sought a separate peace with the Allies. That year, Miriam sent to a labor camp in Csepel, near Budapest, where she worked in an ammunition factory. In March 1944, Germany occupied Hungary. Jews in the countryside were gathered into regional holding centers as the Germans, with Hungarian cooperation, prepared for mass deportations. In April, a Jewish ghetto was formed in Munkacs. Terez and her family were ordered to move there. Before they left, they gave some of their family valuables to a Christian neighbor. They stayed in the ghetto for a week with a family friend, but then were marched to a brick factory. It was very crowded and many people died from the poor living conditions. In May, the family was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center in cattle cars. Upon arrival on May 22, Terez was separated from Roza, their grandparents, and Shmuel. Her head was shaved and she was given old clothes. The following day, she was told by another inmate that her family had been gassed and burned.

Not long after this, someone told Tereza that they had seen Miriam. She found her block and asked the block elder Edith if Miriam could move and permission was granted. They had very little food and other women stole food from Terez. They had to stand outside for appell [roll call] for hours and when a prisoner was not there, they had to kneel on the ground for hours until she was found. Their work was to carry heavy stones back and forth. On November 8, 1944, Terez and Miriam were deported to Torgau slave labor camp, a subcamp of Buchenwald in Germany, arriving on November 19. Terez was assigned prisoner number 46077 and Miriam 46076. The sisters and eight other women were selected to work in the kitchens. The woman who ran the kitchens was kind to Terez and made sure that she had enough to eat. In January 1945, the Allies were bombing the area, but the labor camp was not hit. They were liberated in April 1945 by Allied forces.

After two days, the camp was turned the camp over to Soviet forces. The Soviet soldiers attempted to have sex with the prisoners, so the women lied and told them they were sick. After a few days, Terez, Miriam, and the other women escaped from the soldiers and walked to the American zone. They were hospitalized, and after they recovered, were sent to Prague. Terez found a distant relative who they stayed with for a short while before moving in with a friend from Munkacs. Miriam returned to Budapest and Munkacs, but she was not welcome there and was told to leave. Before Miriam left, she was given their family valuables by their former neighbor in Munkacs. She met Geza Rozner, a fellow survivor, and they returned to Prague and married on December 2, 1945. Miriam introduced Terez to Jakob Mermelstein, who was born on November 4, 1911, in Cinadievo, Czechoslovakia (Chynadiyovo, Ukraine). Terez and Jacob married in February 1946. Because of Soviet control over Czechoslovakia, Terez insisted that they leave. In 1946, Terez and Jakob crossed illegally over the German border and went to Gabersee displaced persons camp, near Wasserburg. On December 13, 1948, they boarded the SS Marine Marlin, arriving in New York on December 24. They settled in New York and Americanized their names to Theresa and Jack. They had a daughter. Terez made bowties and the family eventually bought a store. Miriam and her family went to Israel in 1949, where they had a son. In 1959-1960, they moved to New York. Jack, age 85, died on October 22, 1997. Miriam, age 87, died on December 17, 2010.

Miriam (Mundy) Gruenberger (Grunberger) was born on February 26, 1923, in Budafok, Hungary, to Zsigmund and Roszi (Roza) Gruenberger Schonfeld. Roza was born on September 18, 1893, in Brestovo, Czechoslovakia, to Ludvik and Zeni Neiman Gruenberger. Roza was a shoe designer. Zsigmund was born in 1887 in Kisvarda, Hungary. The couple owned a specialty shoe shop in Budafok, Hungary, a suburb of Budapest, to sell their hand crafted, orthopedic shoes. Miriam’s older sister Terez was born on June 5, 1921, in Mukacevo, Czechoslovakia (Mukacheve, Ukraine). Zsigmund died in 1928 and Miriam, her mother, and sister moved back to Mukacevo to live with Miriam’s maternal grandparents, Ludvik and Zeni Gruenberger. Roza supported the family by hand making specialty shoes. The family usually spoke Hungarian, but also Yiddish and Russian. Terez attended public school, where she learned German, and took violin lessons. The family observed Shabbat and celebrated the holidays. In 1938, Mukacevo and southern Czechoslovakia were annexed by Hungary, with the support of their ally, Nazi Germany. It was now called Munkacs. Terez finished school and began working as a cosmetician at a beauty school. Terez wanted a brother, and encouraged the family to adopt a child. Their grandmother Zeni adopted a six year old Jewish orphan, Shmuel.

Hungary adopted anti-Jewish laws similar to the Nuremberg laws in Germany. The Hungarians were more anti-Semitic and Mirian often heard them refer to the Jews as stinking Jews. Miriam was sent to Budapest in1940 to stay with a stepsister from her father’s first marriage. Her mother Roza later wrote to tell her to stay there, as it was safer. In 1943, Miriam was required to register as a Jew. She had to wear a Star of David badge and a yellow Star was placed on their apartment building to mark it as a Jewish house. She was told to report to Csepel labor camp in the outskirts of the city. Before she left, she gave the jewelry she had been given by her mother and sister to a non-Jewish friend. In Csepel, she working in an ammunition factory making sure that the machine that made bullets did not get stuck. They worked seven days a week and lived in an underground bunker as protection from bombing raids. The supervisors were harsh and those who got in trouble just disappeared. It was a life filled with crying, bitterness, and fear. Miriam no longer had any contact with her family, although at some point, she got a postcard with a German stamp and in her sister’s handwriting saying that she was doing well.

In March 1944, Germany occupied Hungary. In May, Hungarian guards loaded Miriam and the other female inmates on trains. They were taken to a brick factory where they stood in the rain for three days. One night, they heard loud booming sounds from the German and Hungarian guards shooting many prisoners. They were put back on trains and three days later were unloaded at Auschwitz-Birkenau to a crowd of screaming guards and barking dogs. Men in striped uniforms told them to not ask questions and move quickly. She was told to strip, her hair was shaved, and after a shower, she was given a pajama top, an old skirt, and used men’s shoes. She was taken to five or seven block. Soon after she arrived, someone asked her about her sister. Ten minutes later, her sister Terez appeared. Terez asked the block elder, Edith, if Miriam could move to her block and she gave permission. Terez, Roza, their grandparents, and Schmuel had been deported from Munkacs to the brick factory and then to Birkenau in May 1944. Terez had been separated upon arrival from the others. Terez had been told the following day by another inmate that her family had been gassed and burned, but she did not tell Miriam this. The sisters had little to eat and other women would sometimes steal their food. They had to stand outside for appell [roll call] for hours. When an inmate was not there, they had to kneel on the ground for hours until she was found. Their work was to carry heavy stones back and forth. Every morning, music was played for the inmates who marched to work. Miriam watched every day, hoping to see her mother. They observed Yom Kippur, and it was one long cry in all the camp.
As Soviet forces approached in November 1944, Miriam and Terez were deported to Torgau slave labor camp, a subcamp of Buchenwald in Germany that supplied workers for an ammunition factory. They arrived on November 19. Miriam was assigned prisoner number 46076 and Terez 46077. Both sisters and eight other women were selected to work in the kitchens. Miriam thinks they were selected because they looked fairly healthy. They peeled vegetables and potatoes. They were treated fairly well and had their own bunk beds and a shower. In January 1945, the Allies were bombing the area, but the labor camp was not hit. One day in mid-April, they noticed that the Germans were gone and began celebrating. They made parachutes in one factory and Miriam made a flag to place in the tower. She saw Jeeps with white stars and soon US troops entered the camp. Two rabbis with the soldiers gave Miriam and other inmates prayer books and they knew they were saved.

After two days, the camp was turned over to Soviet forces. The Soviet soldiers harassed the girls and tried to have sex with them, so the women lied and said they were sick. After a few days, Miriam, her sister, and the other women escaped and walked to the American zone near Leipzig. They were allowed to enter after they told them about the Soviets. They were hospitalized, and after recovering, were sent to Prague. Terez found a distant relative who they stayed with for a short while before moving in with a friend from Munkacs. Miriam returned to Budapest where she found her stepbrother’s non-Jewish wife. The two went to Munkacs where she found other people living in her grandparent’s house who said they would report her to the Soviets if she tried to get it back. Before Miriam left, she retrieved their family valuables from their former neighbor. She encountered Geza (Gejza) Rozner, whom she had known before the war. They returned to Prague and married on December 2, 1945, and then settled in Zatec. Miriam introduced Terez to Jakob Mermelstein, and they married in February 1946. The region was under Soviet control and both couples wished to leave. Tereza and Jakob crossed illegally into Germany and went to Gabersee displaced persons camp. On December 13, 1948, Terez and Jakob left for New York. Miriam and Geza went to Israel in 1949, where Geza had a sister. They lived there for ten years and had a son. In 1959, Miriam went to New York, joined by Geza, now George in 1960. Geza died in 1974. Miriam, age 87, died on December 17, 2010.