Names Not Numbers

Laszlo Selly

Budapest, Hungary

In Hiding

1937

Laszlo Selly

Budapest, Hungary

1937

Laszlo was born on December 31, 1937, in Budapest, Hungary, to parents Erno and Anna (their last name was originally Schwartz). His father owned a small factory. As the war began, the family heard many rumors about the Nazis and the unfolding horrors. Laszlo's father was drafted into a forced labor battalion and sent to Romania on the Eastern Front, where he was tasked with digging anti-tank ditches.

Miraculously, he managed to escape and went into hiding. As the years passed, the situation in Budapest grew increasingly dire with the enactment of anti-Jewish laws. One of Laszlo’s earliest memories is of his mother sewing Jewish stars onto their clothing.

By 1943/44, the Jews in Budapest were forced into Jewish-only housing, with more than one family crammed into each apartment.

However, the family managed to secure a place in a “safe house” protected by the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, where they remained until the end of the war.

Laszlo continued to live in Hungary until the 1956 revolution against Soviet (Russian) domination. He then escaped to Austria and eventually made his way to the United States.

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In New York, he worked as a professional photographer and eventually opened his own business. In 2001, Laszlo moved to South Florida. He is married to Gayle and has three grandchildren.

The End

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Laszlo Selly interview at Brauser Maimonides Academy during school year 2023-2024

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Laszlo Selly interview at Miami Beach Fienberg Fisher K-8 during school year 2023-2024

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