SH AL 37 TE RO

2006-10-23T00:09:00.000-07:00

RelatioNet SH AL 37 TE RO
SHAPIRA ALEXANDER \ ISRAEL
Interviewer:

Full Name: Ori Shapira
Email: orishap1@barak-online.net
Address: Israel, KFAR SABA

Survivor:

Code: RelatioNet SH AL 37 TE RO
Family Name:Shapira First Name:Israel \ Alexander
Father Name: Meir Shapira Mother Name: Yehudit (Farkash \ Rot)
Birth Date: 12\6\1937 Birth town:Temeswar
Town In Holocaust: Budapest Country In Holocaust: Romania
Profession (Main) In Holocaust: none Status (Today): Alive

Budapest

During the 20th century most population growth occurred in the suburbs, 1900–1920, as much of the country's industry came to be concentrated in the city. The country's human losses during World War I had left Budapest as the capital of a smaller but now sovereign state. By 1930 the city proper contained a million inhabitants, with a further 400,000 in the suburbs. Towards the end of World War II in 1944 Budapest was partly destroyed by British and American air raids. The following siege lasted from December 24 1944 to February 13 1945, and major damage was caused by the attacking Soviet and defending German and Hungarian troops. All bridges were disrupted by the Germans. More than 38,000 civilians lost their lives during the fighting. Between 20% and 40% of Greater Budapest's 250,000 Jewish inhabitants died through Nazi and Arrow Cross genocide during 1944 and early 1945. Despite this, Budapest today has the highest number of Jewish citizens per capita of any European city. On January 1, 1950, the area of Budapest was significantly expanded: new districts were formed from the neighbouring cities and towns. From the severe damage during the Soviet siege in 1944, the city recovered in the 1950s and 1960s . Since the 1980s, the capital has shared with the country as a whole in increased emigration (mostly to the agglomeration) coupled with natural population decrease.

districts

Originally Budapest had 10 districts after coming into existence upon the unification of the three cities in 1873. On 1 January 1950 Budapest was united with several neighboring towns and the number of its districts was raised to 22. At that time there were changes both in the order of districts and in their sizes. Each district can be associated with one or more city parts named after former towns within Budapest.

Interview With Israel / Alexander Shapira

I was born in 1937, in a small town named Temesuas, Romania. I continued living there until I was 2 years old.

When I was approximately 2 years old, my family and I moved to Budapest. I do not remember where we lived in Budapest. There is also no testimony because my entire family is no longer with us.

In 1942 my mother and I moved to the ghetto (here comes a picture of the ghetto). During our stay there my mother was employed in a sewing factory as a seamstress, and this is how we survived during our time in the ghetto.

I myself have no memories from that period of time, because I was a very little boy.

This is probably because I suppressed these memories as a child. Another reason for that is that my mother never talked about that and I never asked her for information, something which I regret till this day.

In the year 1945, when the war ended, I was taken by "Aliyat Hanoar" members, whose task was to gather orphans and children from families that couldn't hold the child prepare them for Aliya to Palestine.

At this time I was attached to a group of 25-30 children, and we moved from Budapest to Ansbrough, Germany, from there we were moved to Mersiles, France.

From there the group sailed with fake certificates on a ship named "Champolion" to Palestine, through an adjustment camp in Atlit (3-5 days) to Kibbutz Na'an.

During my stay in the kibbutz I was writing to my mother in order to keep track of her and hopefully to finally meet her.

In 1948 my mother and her new husband arrived in Israel, tracked me in the kibbutz and came to take me with her to Haifa.

Mother:

Name: Yehudi Roth

Born at: 1916

In: Mormaros-slighet country in Hungary, in a village called Charada.

At the age of 18 she left her house (1934) and moved to Temeswar, probably, where she married my father.

Father:

Name: Meir Shapira

I didn’t know my father and I have no memories of him. He was taken by the Romanians at the begining of 1939 to a working-group.

He disappeared during the Holocaust and we have never heard from him since. We tried searching for him but our efforts failed.