Survivor: Code: RelatioNet YI FR 28 TO HU
Family Name: Froilinger
First Name: Yitzhak
Date of birth: July 15, 1928
Family Name: Froilinger
Father Name: Aaron
Mother Name: Gisela
Brother Name: Akiva, Judea, Abraham
Sister Name: Dvora, VeronicaDate of birth: July 15, 1928
Country of birth: Hungary
I was born on July 15, 1928 by the name Itzhak (Isaac) Arthur Froilinger, in a city called Tokaj in Hungary.
My father, Aaron was born in 1893 in Munk'acs , an area that was compelled to be appended to Czechoslovakia after the First World War.
In 1923, when my father was 23 years old, he married my mother, Gisela Lichtig , a daughter to a well established family in Tokaj.
They had 6 children. My oldest brother Shemron Akiva ( July 1924), my sister Veronica (Vera) Dvora (end of 1925), my brother Judea Layosh (December 1926), myself in July 1928, my sister Rachel (in 1929) and our youngest brother Abraham Tibi in 1931.
Our house was divided to 3 rooms, covered by a red roof and surrounded by a large yard with a short entrance walkway and a wide gate for vehicles on the left side.In the yard there was the family's grocery shop that my father managed. We had the highest respect for my father and we all adored him.
In 1931, at the age 3, I experienced signs of Anti-Semitism for the first time.
My parents registered me to the general kinder-garten (mixed for Jews and gentiles). My sister Vera was given the nick-name "Comme Harvera" (come here Vera), that was pronounced in a ridiculing tone.
The gentiles used to harass us to the extent that Jews were scared to go out of the house, when at certain times we witnessed uncontrollable conflicts (such as "payback" for crucifying Christ at Christmas).
Other kinds of families existed as well, Hungarian families that invited us over to their homes and had a good relationship with us.
Most of our time as children was dedicated to school but we certainly found time for amusement and games, such as Tik-Tak, Hide and Seek, Catch and even the movie theatre.I played soccer and was on the school's high jump team.
At the age 5 I was ready for "Chader", where we studied Bible, and shacharit prayer (at 5 AM), and then continued to our routine school day.
When I turned 11, I started studying in a Yeshiva school.
In my first years I didn't lack anything that I needed, but as the years passed my father's business deteriorated and wasn't as productive as before. In 1935 we started feeling the deterioration, but the last part of the process was connected with the beginning of the war.
In 1938 started a wave of anti-Semitism that washed over the whole area and the Jews were evacuated from their homes to Ghettos by the Hungarian Conqueror that declared they wanted Hungary clear from foreigners.
Import and trade minimized and battalions started visiting our town and humiliating its Jews.It was expressed in songs against Jews and even shaving the beards of the old Jews.
My 4 years of High-School in the years 1939-1943 were a period of deterioration in the tolerance for Jews when the last year was unbearable.
It would be true to say that only thanks to a lot of resourcefulness I finished school.
In those years Hungary, with complete support from Nazi Germany, reoccupied land that was appended at the end of First World War to Czechoslovakia. The Jews in our community started receiving information about the massive eradication of the Jewish people accruing in Poland, Netherland, Belgium and the rest of western Europe.
In the years 1940-1941 we heard of the Zionist movement that operated in Europe and I became acquainted with its ideas.
About 98% of the Jewish community chose denial and thought it was better to develop national feelings to the Hungarian nation.
That phenomenon didn't change even when the Polish Jews were sent to Ghettos, nor when Czechoslovakia was concurred and refugees testified about the horror that they witnessed. That was expected to happen at our region soon.
In that period, one of the biggest traumas of my life happened when after studying for many months I couldn't celebrate my Bar-Mitzvah since I got sick with CBPP (Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia), an illness that lasted more than 3 months.
You could say that my personality was formed during this time of hatred toward the Jews. That hatred bothered me, aroused my curiosity and pushed me to enrich my knowledge as to what was happening outside the borders of Hungary.
The political situation showed me that if I wanted to complete my education, I would have to leave Tokaj. That thought combined with the Zionistic "bug" that got hold of me, made me join that course in Budapest that in fact was Zionistic training.
The Hungarians, led by Horti, felt that the Germans were pressurized by the expanding war, sent a delegation to negotiate complete autonomy with the German authorities. As a result, the German army took over the country and forced Horti to form a Pro-German government. Two days later Hitler's emissary Adolf Eichmann arrived.
The Judenrat - the incompetent cowered Jewish leadership in the Nazi service, changed their leadership and the Jewish community experienced threats as was customary by the Nazi regime.
Me, a 15 year old, that at the time took part in the Bnei-Akiva gardening training, which trained Jews for "Aliya", was sent on a train with 4 other youngsters from the youth movement back to Tokaj due to fear of the movement's leaders that ourexistence in Budapest , as a group, was in danger.
Unfortunately, the Hungarian policemen that checked thoroughly all the passengers to the train, caught us and sent us to a prison crowded with Jews, where the hunger and crowdedness were terrible.
Five days later, we managed to seize a moment of lack of alertness of one of the guards and escaped imprisonment, to the streets where we were spotted by one of the movement's activists and the management of the movement decided to transfer us to families in Budapest that where led by "Hamizrachi" leadership.
I got shelter in Frenkel Yeno's home, a wealthy Jew who was the president of "Hamizrachi" movement in Hungary.
There, I received the news about the difficult conditions in Tokaj, which made 1944 Passover extremely depressing.
After Passover, the Gestapo stopped Frenkel, his wife and his brother which meant we were left under the aunt's responsibility, but I couldn't bear the feeling that the poor aunt would have to take care of the rest of the family and me, so I left to live in the streets. From there I joined the underground movement ("The Machteret").
A part of the underground movement activity, was producing faked documents, including fake identity papers of gentiles.I had a gentile's look, which made it possible for me to freely walk through the streets as long as I held the fake identity paper of a gentile. During this period of time, the "Committee For Rescuing" was established and it was led by doctor Israel Kestner.
While I was waiting for the green light to go on the "Tiul", I was sent to a protected camp on Columbus Street, there I got the message: "You must present yourself at four in the afternoon to 12 Ship Street, in order to join to the "Tiul".
But the good feeling that overcame me at that moment quickly disappeared.
A Rescue unit of the Hungarian army captured me and asked me to clear away rubble created by a bomb in the street. I tried to run to Ship Street but I got caught and was sent to the fascists military camp, there I was beaten up and thrown into a corner of the camp. I do not know where I mastered the courage, but I managed to climb through the half-open window and jump out. Probably the anguish of that day made me immune, because despite the hard fall, I escaped. I ran to Ship Street, where luckily Dr. Kastner recognized me. He took me to his car and drove me back to the protected camp on Columbus street.
A few days after this event, during Yom-Kippur 1944, the Hungarian right-wing extremists took over the Hungarian government. Police fascists took children and old men out of their houses into the streets, and from there took them to the direction of the Austrian border. I was one of the children in this march that was then called "Death March", and I was one of the few who survived it.
My unit in the "death March" was stopped 40 kilometers from Budapest, and we were forced to build Fortifications. I decided to escape. after I escaped I realized everyone would be punished for it, so I quickly returned.
But it was clear that this was "the end of the road" for us, so I decided to escape again. One night in November 1944, I jumped on a cargo train which made its way to Budapest. Just before Budapest, I jumped off the train. I managed to penetrate into an army's camp which Jews were concentrated in. Inside I found a large kitchen, and I ate the best meal of my life.
From there I got to a building which had the nickname: "the glass house". There I met with David Friedman and a few other old friends from the Bnei-Akiva organization. They equipped me with some fake documents, and sent me to 6 "Vatsi" street. In 6 "Vatsi" street I replaced Vijoh at his work, according to David's command. During one of the nights at this house I called "Shma Israel" out loud while sleeping, which forced us to move (in order not to reveal our identity). My new friend, Devitch, and I were able to get the uniforms of the bastards which led us to the "death march". With those uniforms we were able to free some Jews for a couple of days, until one day we were sent to court, because people started to suspect that we were actually Jewish.
Because we knew that at court our real identities would be revealed, we decided to go up to the headquarters office, saluted a Nazi salute and eventually we were able to get out.
After these horrible days, the Russians have taken Hungary (11 January 1945). The Russians freed us from the fascist regime, but on the other hand they got used to getting drunk and raping women in the streets. Devitch and I once got into a conflict with a drunk Russian officer, but luckily I was able to knock him down and we escaped, a few days later Devitch's trails were gone.
After this period of time the underground movement, including me, met at a building in Vudaas street. We decided that we should leave Hungary, and we moved to Transylvania in order to start the qualification of Jews for "Aliya"..
After 3 weeks of walking we have reached our destiny, Timishvara. In this city, 20 young Jews including myself were chosen to be transferred to the city Alba Lulia. In this city I have met Judith Levi, a woman who changed my life.
After a lecture I gave in front of some Jews in Alba Lulia, a doctor called Hillel Levi came to me impressed, and invited me to his home. There, I saw them, 4 beautiful young girls: Miriam, Lilli, Judith, and Rita. At the beginning I had a love affair with Miriam, but eventually I fell in love with Judith, and I never regretted it.
During this period of time I met my brother Akiva at Alba Lulia. It was very exciting, and I made him join the Bnei-Akiva organization. After that meeting I moved to the Hungarian capital, but as I got there I came across a communist Regime leaders, which was bullying the Jewish kids at my school and I hit him.
That’s why I had to escape to the city Desk. There, I got a life signal from my brother Judea. As a result, I started spreading information how to find me at certain places which I knew he would probably go to.
During 1945 I visited Alba Lulia, and I found that doctor Hillel was attacked and suffered a severe head injury. A few days before the injury killed him, I promised him that I would take his wife (Bella) and his 4 daughters to Palestine.
I have been gone from Desk for one and a half months for a certain mission, and when I came back I got a message which said that my brother Judea was at Tukaj. When I got there Judea was drunk, so I told the house keeper to send him a message that I was there. The next morning we met. It was really emotional, full of tears. I told him all that had happened to me during the war, which made him repent and join the Bnei-Akiva organization.
After that meeting I went back to Alba Lulia (May 1946). On the way back ,I was almost caught by Hungarian cops who were looking for me at the train station.
When I finally reached Alba Lulia, I went to a Levi's family's wedding.
During those days my brother Akiva immigrated to Israel (august 1946): at first he was sent to Atlit camp and from there he went to the Settlement Gat Rimon.
I started fulfilling my promise to doctor Hillel, to take his family to Israel. I was supposed to meet Bella and her daughters in a small city called Becker, but they didn't arrive on time, which forced them to board on the next ship to Israel.
On the way,we were stopped by British forces, who after a long fight sent us to camp number 62 in Cyprus. In this camp, I got a piece of information, according to which, the Levi girls' ship had run aground, but most of its passengers survived. I prayed for their health and well being for days, and eventually my prayers have been answered: I got information that the survivors were sent to Cyprus and were kept in camp number 55. One night, I went to this camp and I found Bella and her daughters. They told me about the horrible journey they had gone through. A few friends and I were able to transfer the Levi family to camp number 61. Now we were able to take care of them, we held a memorial service in their tent in memory of doctor Hillel. One night, we helped them get their tent into shape after the strong winds broke it. While doing that, I lost my mother's ring, which was the last memory from her.
In February 1947, Bella and her daughters received permission to immigrate to Israel because they were survivors of the ship that had run aground.
Although the British authorities gave them a hard time, eventually my promise to doctor Hillel was completed.
I joined the girls a period of time later: I was included on a list of hundreds of orphan teenagers that were chosen to be sent to Israel sooner. So I was uploaded on a truck, transported to Laranka port and from there we boarded on a British ship which took us to Haifa's port. At the beginning, I suffered from a difficult crisis because my Zionist dream was far from reality. Eventually, I went through many different experiences in the country, starting from the War Of Independences, the meeting with the Levi girls and the affair with Judith which eventually developed to our wedding, and finally through the birth of our 3 sons, Roni, Eyal and Amir, our 8 grandchildren and our great-grandchildren.
Tokaj
Tokaj is a historical town in northern
Today it is in the center of the famous wine district were the well known Tokaj wine is produced.
The earliest documentation of this town was in the year 1067: at this time Tokaj was inhabited by the Hunyadi family, which dominated the area for the next 500 years. In 1450 Matthias Hunyadi became king of this area, and the town Tokaj became a royal estate.
The castle that was built on this estate was destroyed in 1705 under the orders of Francis the II Rakoczi. In 1867
Before the breakout of the Second World War there was a population of 998 Jews in Tokaj and this was reduced to 112 by the end of the war.
Between the 2 world wars there was much Zionistic activity in the town. The minister of the interior registered a branch of the Zionistic movement and in 1931 the young zionistic movement "Barisia" began its work among the youth.
In
After the war only a 112 survivors returned to Tokaj, but these numbers were reduced and by 1960 only 3 Jews remained.
Tokaj was grunted town status again in 1966 and it started to prosper again. Today Tokaj is a popular tourist's attraction.
The city of
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