1944, on Magda’s 17th birthday, she and her family were deported to Auschwitz

Transportation to Allendorf, a sub-camp of Buchenwald

Worked there in an ammunition factory with chemicals, which turned skin yellow, hair orange and lips purple

1945 On a death march to Buchenwald, she and others were able to escape

Hid in a barn, until she was found by American soldiers

Spent six months in a Displaced Persons camp in Germany

Only she, her brother and six cousins survived the Holocaust out of the more than 70 family members

1946 With the help of her uncle and aunt in the US, she immigrated to Chicago

It took her many years to overcome the recurring nightmares of the Holocaust

1962 Reunion with her brother, Miklos, who served in the Hungarian military’s Jewish labor force and was captured and imprisoned by the Russian army

1977 Ended her silence due to an attempted Neo-Nazi march in Skokie, Illinois, which is home to many Holocaust survivors

She passed away in July 2020.

Lest We Forget Berlin 05-26-2018