Budapest, Hungary

Mariann was born in the city of Nagykoros in The Rosenfeld family lived in a nice area in Nagykoros. Their life was very vibrant. Many of the people there were Jews, and some were Christians. She said life was very peaceful until about 1935.

Mariann said that she had a very political family. The Hungarian Democratic Republic was started in 1918 in Budapest after the end of World War I. The Prime Minister during this time was Mihaly Karolyi. The Republic did not last long and ended in A new communist state started and was called the Hungarian Soviet Republic. A monarchy was soon restored and Istvan Bethlen became Prime Minister in March 1921.

Growing up, Mariann and her family often went to the temple even though they were not Jewish Orthodox. The Rosenfeld family was not very religious. They occasionally attended Jewish synagogues and practiced some Jewish traditions, like Yom Kippur, but they were not Jewish. The Jews were treated well and peacefully until around 1935.

Mariann’s father’s father had founded a fruit company that was successful for many years. Mariann’s father, Sandor Rosenfeld, continued to run the business. The fruit was shipped over to countries such as Switzerland and Germany by train. Because of the competition, the company went out of business in Today, Hungary has a market economy.

Mariann attended a Jewish school. She was not Jewish but sometimes attended synagogues. Many of the students at the school were either Christian or Jewish. Some of Mariann’s favorite subjects in school were grammar and literature, but she did not enjoy math. While in school, Mariann also enjoyed gymnastics, singing, and playing piano.

Mariann really enjoyed her childhood. She enjoyed school and grammar and literature. She found pleasure in singing, playing the piano, and gymnastics. Her family had a large social life with many friends. Mariann also enjoyed the summer. She said that summer was happy and peaceful. She spent much of her time at the pool in Nagykoros with her cousins and friends. She enjoyed her life even though her family did not have a lot of money.

The German invasion began on March 19, Mariann could no longer attend school, and her family had to stay in their house. They spent their time reading the newspaper and listening to the radio. In December 1944, the Rosenfeld family was taken away. They were taken to Ravensbruck, a concentration camp, on Christmas Eve. After much torture, Mariann and her family were released on August 22, After the war ended, Mariann was married twice and had two daughters. In 2002, Mariann revisited Ravensbruck.

Mariann with her cousin Klari Rosenfeld

Mariann with some of her relatives

1928- Mariann Rosenfeld born in Nagykoros, Hungary Family moved to Budapest March 19, The German Invasion December Taken away from Vertesszoles by Arrow Cross Connected with the Good Pastor Mission Married Gyorgy Popa First daughter Kati born Second daughter Julia born Divorced husband Remarried to Ivan Szamosi

Hungarian Beef GoulashKohlrabi Soup