Bertalan Duschnitz, Malvin Kürti and Ruzena Erdelyiova

This photo was taken in the 1950s in Piestany, and shows three siblings. From left Bertalan Duschnitz, Malvin Kürti (née Duschnitz) and my mother, Ruzena Erdelyiova (née Duschnitz).

My mother was one of nine children. Anna Diamant (née Duschnitz) was murdered during the Holocaust. Malvin Kürti (née Duschnitz) survived the war in hiding with my parents. Bertalan Duschnitz survived the war. Elza Lakatos (née Duschnitz), committed suicide with her husband before deportation from the town of Chust in the Ukraine. Robert Duschnitz, banker, was murdered during the Holocaust. Erno Duschnitz, economist, was murdered in the Melk concentration camp. Leona Porges (née Duschnitz) was murdered and buried in a mass grave near Trencianske Teplice. Frida Dezider (née Duschnitz), murdered during the Holocaust. Jenö Duschnitz, who was in the wood business. He died of typhus after being liberated from a concentration camp. Malvin Kürti (née Duschnitz) and my mother Ruzena Erdelyiova (née Duschnitz) were in hiding near the village of Motycky. They survived the war.

Uncle Berci (Bertalan) Duschnitz graduated from a high school specializing in economics in Budapest. Back then it was called an Academy, one that specialized in export and import. He married a widow. Her name was Györgyi. She brought two sons into the marriage. I never met this family. All I know is that one of the boys was named Elemér. They lived in the town of Gyöngyös in northern Hungary, where they owned a huge vineyard. Elemér was drafted for forced labor, and didn’t survive the war. I don’t know anything about the other boy. Their mother was also murdered. Only Uncle Berci survived. But after the war our contact was very sporadic. All I know is that once he spent the entire summer with us in Piestany. He died at over 80 years of age. I’m assuming that he’s buried either in Gyöngyös or in Budapest.

Photos from this interviewee