Hungarian Forces
Miriam Eisner lived with her family in Khust, Czechoslovakia. When she was 11 years old, the region became part of Hungary. She recalls the changes and violence in the community when Hungarian forces arrived. (2 minutes 7 seconds)
Miriam E. testimony, 1984. Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, excerpt from Miriam E. testimony, 1984. Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, excerpt from AVT 54.
Transcript
[Text: In 1939, Miriam was eleven years old and living with her family in Khust, Czechoslovakia when the region was annexed by Hungary. Miriam recalls the changes and violence in her community following the arrival of Hungarian forces.]
Miriam Eisner: People have been dragged out from the houses, mostly men. And later on, women also. Later on, even children and women only.
Interviewer: They were dragged out at night, and did they return?
Miriam Eisner: No. Nobody knew really where they were or what happened to them.
Interviewer: You had no idea what happened?
Miriam Eisner: No.
Interviewer: Did you hear about things that happened in Poland, for example, or in Germany?
Miriam Eisner: I only heard, yes, I heard only [from] my parents. I really couldn’t concentrate very well, you know, because I was so young. And the shock that happened was so big that I really couldn’t understand it. But my parents, I had seen how they worry and how upset they are, how scared they are. And friends also who ... my mother or father used to come home and used to say, “Oh, you know, this one disappeared and this one disappeared and ...” They were very upset. Like I said, I couldn’t really concentrate very well. The shock was so big and so scary that I was just hiding away, probably with my brothers.