Susan (Zsuzsa) KÁDÁR  (1929-1944)

Having made contact with a Dr Gavriel Bar-Shaked at the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem I sent him a copy of my book to be kept at Yad Vashem. (Now  No. 11941 in their Archives.) Soon afterwards  Gavriel, who is of Hungarian origin, wrote to me and said that he was overcome to know that I am related to the late Susan (Zsuzsa) Kádár whom he was researching for the past five years. Apparently, in 1990 they received copies of details of some of the Hungarian war criminal trials and there they read about the tragic story of Susan and since then wanted to know more about her.

I immediately faxed him the little I knew about her fate. My Uncle Imre Balázs was arrested by some Arrow Cross gangsters, who roamed the streets from October 1944 onwards checking up on people and keeping them prisoners in their Party Houses, established throughout Budapest. After torturing their victims so as to give up their hidden jewellery they were taken to parks and shot. Later, when the authorities complained  about the decaying bodies, they modified their behaviour and took the people, including children to the almost iced over Danube, where they were shot into the river or their bodies thrown in afterwards. It was while Uncle Imre was held in a school, which served as their HQ and prison, that he saw Susan Kádár, who was cleaning the grounds. She did as if she did not recognise him, and thus he was able to convince the Nazis that he is not Jewish, using his false papers. Any recognition by Susan would have betrayed him and he would have been shot within a few hours as were dozens of others on that day without the benefit of a trial, etc.

One day soon after the War he was on the street, when he recognised one of the Nazis and on passing the HQ of the political police he had them arrest this man. It was then that we learned from Imre that Susan was kept as the whore of the Arrow Cross gang and finally shot into the Danube, when apparently she became pregnant. This information came from  my Uncle.

I could also tell Gavriel that Susan was a happy go lucky, pretty, friendly girl, who was three years younger and thus not a close friend of mine, especially as they lived quite far from us. The relationship was not particularly close: her grandmother and my father were first cousins. We saw them at family gatherings and when she was 13-14 I took her on daytrips to the hills of the city and taught her skiing.

To assist Gavriel  I spoke on the phone with my cousin Bözsi Simkovits, who had a lot more information. Because of the nature of some allegations, I went to see her and  taped her subsequent discussions with me. It seems that Grandmother Ernestine Rotter lived with Bözsi and her family in the latter stages of the War. After the Arrow Cross takeover her daughter, also Bözsi, son-in-law  Sanyi and Susan disappeared. According to Bözsi Simkovits, a few days after their disappearance a man came along to Mrs Rotter and told her that both her daughter and son-in-law were shot by the Arrow Cross. This man was himself shot at, but managed to jump into the Danube and under cover of darkness hide until it was safe to clamber out. It seems that the Kádár parents were tortured until they disclosed where their valuables were hidden and eventually taken to the river bank, where, realising that she is going to be killed, Bözsi was hysterical and asking Sanyi to do something to save themselves. She thought that Sanyi would be able to talk the Nazis out of shooting them.

After Liberation, Mrs Rotter heard that a lady who knew Susan in captivity had survived and may have some news. With Bözsi she went to find this woman. Apparently she lived on the 4th floor of a building and Bözsi went ahead alone to check if she is at home and indeed she is the person who has some information about Susan. On hearing about whom Bözsi is enquiring, this woman became agitated and called Susan a traitor, a criminal, who played along with Nazis, responsible for the death and torture of many and a girlfriend to some of them. She also told Bözsi that she was shot. With some presence of mind Bözsi begged the woman not to repeat all this to Susan's grandmother and indeed she told Mrs Rotter that Susan has probably been taken along by the gang fleeing to Germany thus giving the old lady some hope that at least her Susan might return.

Bözsi kept this information to herself, although she told it to her parents and husband. It was certainly new to me and I could hardly believe or understand, although I have never been confronted with the choices as might face a 15-year-old girl held by a gang of murderers and rapists. Whatever the situation, it has shocked me to hear these allegations.

Next day a parcel arrived from Jerusalem. In it were 43 pages of details of a trial, held in 1949, together with some written testimonies of both witnesses and also the accused. The trial was for 15 members of the Party House, where Susan was kept prisoner. My uncle is listed as one of the 81 witnesses for the prosecution. The papers I received were far from complete, but I believe that they contain all the references to Susan. Reading it is a harrowing experience yet I was so glad that I had the opportunity, for the testimony clears up the situation as regards Susan is concerned. To abridge it all would be impossible, but some of what was said in connection with Susan might be of interest:

The Judgment of the trial says that the accused have collected and kept in captivity many Jews, including 14 years old Susan Kádár. It specifically states that Susan was forced to act against other persons by making her  collect valuables from them. The same young girl (Susan) was raped by many of the party members and finally taken to the Danube and shot.

One of the witnesses reports: "Those women held in the party house were subjected to sexual misuse and he (Kelemen, the person discussed) had sex with 15 years old Susan Kádár, who was later executed."  The accused Kelemen says: "I knew of Susan Kádár, an extremely pretty girl and I know from hearsay that she was raped by many people. I definitely wish to deny that I took part in this.....    I cannot recall the name of  Mrs. Gattein.  I admit that one of the captive woman I beat up very strongly, but I cannot recognise this name."

Another witness: "From the Konkord Sanatorium, he (another Nazi) took away 14 years old Susan Kádár to the Party House and next day he brought her back. She whispered to me that prior to  returning to the Sanatorium she was raped by 17 people. One could see that he forced her to assist in misappropriating the valuables. I saw him take her into the room and instruct her to collect all valuables from those present. Thus it was she who collected things for him, which she has obviously done under duress."

(The "he" is Frigyes Eöry,  who took Susan to the Party House. He was then 19 years old, had a rifle, sidearm and always had a heavy dog whip in his hand. Portions of his testimony are more horrific than those of the people he persecuted, tortured and even left for dead after believing that he killed them.)

Eöry was already serving a 6-year sentence for crimes against humanity when he was again interrogated and accused of murder etc. He testifies that his previous statements were untrue but now he will admit certain actions of his since these  were proven by witnesses. Thus he admits that he captured 14 years old Susan. He denies that he got her to collect valuables, but whatever was collected was done for the good of the Party, he kept nothing himself. He heard that Susan was raped by a lot of the party members, but he never did that, he only heard it from XYZ (who has since died). He admits that he had a whip, but he never used it except to make a noise with it.  Later in the same signed document he admits that he whipped a Jew until he bled, because he claimed to have been an officer in the Reserve Army. Of those he arrested, as far as he knows no-one was ever killed.

Later in his testimony, as regards his killing or as he says executing people, he absolutely denies that he ever killed anybody on the Pest side of the river, and he has only been active in  executions on the Buda side. Yes, he has taken part in the execution of the children discovered at the St Alajos Institution (a Catholic school where some children were kept by the priests). The ages were between 8 and 14, however, he is careful to point out that it wasn't just the 20 or so children who were collected, some grown ups were shot at the same time!

In essence he also says: "I also used a whip to beat Mrs Benko, whom I brought to the Party House with her sister and two children (3 & 7 years old). I was only to arrest Mr Benko, but while I was in their flat I found some papers which suggested to me that maybe Mrs Benko is part Jewish, so I brought them all in. In conjunction with my investigating her background I admit that I beat her up very badly, but it is not true that I had her in the nude or that I have used a lighted cigarette to torture her."  (Mr & Mrs Benko, her sister and the two children were taken to the Danube and shot.)

To show his humanity: "I have taken a woman who took poison to hospital, where they pumped out her stomach and only later did I take her into the party house." (She was subsequently shot.)

Within his testimony a lot of space is taken up by giving details of his cohorts, all of whose crimes he is familiar with and lists in as much detail as he can remember.  He has no hesitation in spilling the beans on them!

Of  the 15 accused, 12 were sentenced to death. Subsequently two were reprieved and sentenced to life, one (Kelemen) was sent for a retrial due to a judicial error, one had his sentence reduced to 15 years and 8 were hanged.

 The year of 1995 is the 50th anniversary of the end of the War. Remembering the times I spent in hiding, watching people being killed, etc. is not pleasant. Ask any veteran of the POW camps in Borneo or Japan, how it feels now, after 50 years to be so forcefully reminded of past sufferings.

Susan Kádár was not a close friend or relation, but her tragic story is painful as it unfolds in the pages of the court case. What must she have suffered until taken to the river bank? She must have known what is going to happen, could she understand at her age what is happening in this madness, where people are being beaten, raped, whipped and murdered without anyone raising a word?

I also recognise myself within those pages. The judgment describes, how this same group of murderers went through a house, how they found some Jews and how they  shot them. It was on the 30th December that this happened. I cannot remember the date, but I was there. They came into the kitchen of the brothel in Légrády Károly utca and said: "We are looking for Jews and deserters. If you got any, give them up, else you will also be shot." Was it Eöry whose voice I heard in the kitchen next room? Mrs. Eidam and the Romanian said nothing, offered them a drink, then rifle shots  were heard on the street and the Nazis ran down to see who is shooting whom. The Jews who were shot at and who surrendered were marched down to the Danube and killed. I salute their memory, for their death meant life for my father and me.

Return to Part Two.