HANAN DAUTSCH-ASHKENAZI

2005-11-23T23:03:00.000-08:00

RelatioNet DA HA 24 GE HU
FULL NAME:HANAN DAUTSCH-ASHKENAZI

Interviewer: ZIV SHABAT AND NIR MEIR

Full Name/s
Email: zivshabat@walla.co.il
Messenger: zivshabat@walla.co.il
Address: Kfar Sava,Israel

Survivor:

Code: RelatioNet DA HA 24 GE HU
Family Name: DAUTSCH-ASHKENAZI First Name: HANAN Middle Name: Middle Name
Father Name: Father Name Mother Name: Mother Name
Birth Date: 1924
Town In Holocaust: GENTZ Country In Holocaust: HUNGARY
Profession (Main) In Holocaust: Profession
Status (Today): Alive
If Alive - Address Today: Kfar Sava,Israel
Email: aaa@bbbbbb.net

The History of Gemzse

Gemzse is a tiny village in Szabolcs County, in the north-east corner of Hungary. This corner of Hungary is surrounded by former areas of Hungary that were lost in the First World War, and are now parts of Slovakia, Ukraine, and Romania. Szabolcs is a quiet, agricultural region of Hungary, with potato and grain crops predominating. It and the neighboring county of Zemplen are remarkable in that most every village had several Jewish families, engaged in farming rather than the just the traditional Jewish activities of trade. The population of Gemzse in 1993 was about 700, just about the same as in 1893. There is a school and two churches, one Catholic and one Protestant. In pre-war days there were separate Catholic and Protestant schools and the Jews were required by law to attend one of these. There are archaeological remains and inscriptions showing that Jews lived in what are now Hungary even in the days of the Roman Empire. However, Hungary is in the middle of Europe with no defensible borders, and has been repeatedly swept by invasions. While Jews have lived in parts of Hungary on and off for two thousand years, there is little continuity to their history in Hungary. The Magyar tribes occupied the country in 896, and they were accompanied by (and possibly related to) some Khazars. Jews are known to have lived in Hungary in medieval times, and were generally treated much better in Hungary than in most other European countries. The Turks were finally defeated by the Austrian Habsburg emperor, and expelled from Hungary in 1699. The 1700s was a period of rebuilding by the Magyars, and Jews filtered back to take part in this enterprise. Indeed, the nobility encouraged Jewish immigration, as there was virtually no commerce or literacy in Hungary. Every nobleman wanted Jews living on his estate, especially to run enterprises such as taverns on his behalf. A census conducted in 1723 found only about 30,000 Jews in all of Hungary. By the end of the century, their number had grown to about 200,000, both due to natural increase and immigration from other parts of the Habsburg Empire.
Initially, Moravia (now in the Czech Republic) was a major source of immigration, as there were severe restrictions on the Jews there. Following 1772, Galicia became part of the empire, and also became a source of immigration. However, after 1800 most of the growth of the Jewish population seems to have been due to natural increase. The Jewish population of greater Hungary eventually grew to about 800,000, representing 5 percent of Hungary's total population. There was about half a dozen Jewish families in Gemzse at any one time, enough at
least to have a minyan and employ an occasional melamed. The Jewish population was 114 around 1846, but had declined to 79 in 1930. In spite of a high birth rate, the population declined due to a constant out migration by the younger generations lured to larger towns and cities. In pre-war days there were separate Catholic and Protestant schools, and the Jews
were required by law to attend one of these. In the 1930s at least (Joseph, Lajcsi and Jeno) attended the Catholic school, and hence learned a few words of the Latin Mass, even though the Jews were excused from class during the teaching of religion. They also had Hebrew lessons from an itinerant melamed.

BACKROUND OF HANAN ASHKENAZI:

Hanan was born in Gemezse, a small town in Hungary.Ten percent of the population there was Jewish. There was an Orthodox community, a Jewish school and synagogue that was built in 1867. In 1942 Hanan was 18 years old , in that period Hanan was religious. In 1943 Hanan came to Budapest , and there he learned carpentry. In March 19, 1944 the Nazis came into Hungary , and Jews had to start wearing the yellow patch and there was some things that was forbidden to them. Hanan went home on Passover evening and a few moments later the Nazis collected all the Jews from the village and divided them in to groups. Hanan planned to escape and he succeeded. In 1946 Hanan was told that his sister and his little brother were located in Budapest. His big brother was injured and he was at the hospital , Hanan went there and met him. In 1948 hanan came to Israel. He met Hadasa (his wife) in the kibbutz , she was at Auchweitz extermination Camp too. When Hanan came to Israel he changed his last name from Dautsch into Ashkenazi. In the kibutz Hanan worked in the dairy farming. After two years he went to work at carpentry factory. Hanan have a six grand children and four great – grand children .