[Page 16]

From the age of 13, for two years I delivered newspapers. I used to carry about approximately 50-60 pieces: there was AZ EST ( The Night) an evening paper requested by some of the Jewish families, about 16, FRISS ÚJSÁG (Fresh News) a Catholic noon paper, 8 ÓRAI ÚJSÁG ( The 8 O’Clock News) an evening paper bought by mixed population.

My district also included Újgalambos (Szilia) and the Golambus prarie. They paid most of the time by cash, because they bought them also at Goldbergerné ( in the middle of Tót St) and used to pay there. She kept a tobacco shop. I used to rap on the gate,  they either took it there when ordered by elder people I would deliver it in side the house.

I was expected to deliver the papers at exactly the same time that the postman made his deliveries.

Beforenoon, we got the newspaper at the Post Office, in the afternoon at the railway station: winter summer at 4 o’clock. We used to walk 3 km to and from.

Petrovics Sanyi used to carry ÚJ NEMZEDÉK – New Generation. It was meant to be an ecclesiastic paper. The Pintér childre sold FÜGGETLENSÉG – Independent -  that was a Burgher paper.

[Page 17]

[Page 18]

Perhaps it was Ella who returned.  She became a water carrier for the 26th Building Company.   She lived for a long time amoung us.

Lusztig  Ákos: He was a director and used to live near the artezi well, on the other side of the Catholic church.  I used to work there as a domestic. They loved, honored, and payed me well.

Fritz Péter: He had a general store and was our neighbor.  I worked there also as a domestic for a short time. Their son  Péter was a bachelor.

Albert Rezsõné: She was a pharmacist

Farkas Számi: He had a general store which stood where the Conditory stands today, near the Pentele club house. One of his 3 daughters came home from the deportation. She died.

Wolmann: He had a general store and his house stood opposite the school.

Szekulesz: He was an innkeeper and had a general store at the beginning of Cemetery st. near the Synagogue.

[Page 19]

My mother and I were very surprised when late one night we heard a rapping at the gate. A lady caller appeared. She excused herself and said that she was from America and was on her way to Paks, but wanted to see the place where she had spent her childhood. By way of the church wall  she recognized the way  that she wanted to go. Her father was a leather merchant, his name was  Deutsch.  She, Teri, married in –27- and had emmigrated to the U S A. We told her that her old home had been bombed and destroyed.

Auntie Teri then 86,looked around, said good-bye to her cherished place of origin and traveled on .

The modest memorial was innaugarted first on December 7th without names. In 1990 on the first of November the 192 names were added  including 56 names of Jewish origin. That was the real innauguration. Taking part were the town principles, directors, Pentele friends circle, the National Prisoners union, and the clerical staff.  The Rabbi, in the name of the National Hungarian Jewish Association gave a prayer in Hebrew (a Jewish ceremony seldom seen by a fellow citizen) after the prayer he threw small stones at the memorial where the names of the deportees were inscribed and in Hungarian he thanked all that had given time, strength, and money in order to include the names of the Jewish Victims on the Memorial.

The Jews resided in the center of town or nearby according to their particular occupation. They were peacefull residents of Dunapentele. Some of them were sent to the front for hard labor being  cannon-fodder , ( for example the Sziklai boys ; Sándor and György) others were put into the ghetto ( first at Bruck mill on Baracsi St, and then to the school) and then they were deported to be finished in the gas chambers. There was no mercy. Men women and also children had the same fate. The residents, that where at home at the time, saw the Jews being chased to the station between the two rows of gendarmes holding bayonets in 1944, cried for them.

From all those that were deported only one returned, Farkas Ella ( their shop was on the spot where the conditory now stands near the club house ) who lived for a long time amoung us.

Those that did not live through the war can hardly feel the horror and the consequences.

[Page 24]

a. Coming Home from Hoeing

My grandfather Hingyi was still young and with small children. He was walking homeward on the unpaved alley Rác, dusty and tired. From dawn to dusk was quite enough. He wasn’t in a good mood ,he was hungry.

As he neared his house he heard funny rhymmes. He stood still and listened, his tired face turned into a smile. Arriving at his home he peeped through a crack in the fence. He smiled even more as out of his eight children the three youngest were sitting on the kitchen theshold. In unison, like a choir, they were chanting in singing tone, like a studied poem, the leather merchant Deutsch’s ten children’s names.

My grandfather, the youthful Gyuri at the time, started to laugh already behind the fence. He tried to put on a serious face when he entered the gate.

 - Be quite-  Do you hear me? Don’t sing Deutsch’s names but your own! You are also eight.

 - OK  Good  But the Deutsch’s are more, they are ten and we are only eight - argued back  one of the little ones. And again they started singing –

Oh Ho – How well you have learned it. Let’s hear if you could chant together your names. Could you tell how many you are?

The three small ones started to sing their brothers and sisters names , altogether eight:

Their father, laughing, put down his hoe and knapsack in the shed.

( Told by my mother ,Nyuli Istvánné, Hingyi Katalin)

b. The Netike “club”

In the Pentele quarter there is a bus stop called Baracsi road station. One of my elder female cousins doesn’t call it that she says: I got on the bus at the front of Neti.

Nowadays younger residents and “immigrants” don’t know that here at the beginning of the street there was a house ( it was destroyed) that once upon a time, at the beginning of 1900, lived an old maid, Kohn Neti.  She had a little shop and from it she made her living.

The neighbors’ children would quarrel among themselves – with lots of agitation --about who would be the one that would light the fire on Saturday in Neti’s fireplace. Jews that practice their religion were not allowed to light a fire.

Netike was a pious solitary old maid. She liked to read so she had a lot of good books. One of the neighbor’s young boys asked her for a book to read. Neti told him:

– Don’t be angry, I take lots of care of my books, but if you would like to read one you may come in the evening, then I have more time and it doesn’t make any difference whether I sit alone or some one else also.

So be it. At night there were two reading in Netike’s room.  The youngster enjoyed the book very much.

-- Miss Neti, Pali would also like to read it.-

-- Pali can also come, there is plenty of room at the table.

After a while there were ten readers. On winter’s nights they used to bring with them dried pumkin seeds ( with funny names).  They would pour them on the top of the table, as the custom of the local folk. They clicked, smacked the seed and read a lot and enjoyed themselves.

-- Boys, perhaps when you come here so nicely to read, you could bring one or two pieces of wood or dried corn stalks ( after they had been snapped) in your pockets.

They did bring wood and other things – the carnival arrived and they were enjoying themselves so much at Netike’s club that in their pockets they brought doughnuts, corn cakes,and some even brought a zither and a harmonica.

How happy this lonely old maid became! Finally there was a lively activity going on in her apartment too. Something was missing for the boys. It would be nice to have a bit of wine with the doughnuts and the scones. Opposite, on the other side of the road was Mátyá’s Inn, but they were too young to be served.

 - Oh I will go over and bring a pitcher of wine – offered Netike – but there will be no getting drunk! On this I will take care.

So there arrived a little wine, they ate, drank played music, were singing:

  Rajna,my dog is barking,
  Here comes my sweetheart the brown one,
  Even if he is brown, he’s not a gypsy,
  He loves me truly.

-  Let them come, it’s carnival time!- the house owner gave her consent.

So then there was dancing, eating,and fun among themselves.

It became known in the village that in the evenings at  Netikes’ there is a “gathering”. The parents did not like it. There is the Boy’s Union, and they should go there because there they would have the watchful eye of the priest. But here at Neti………………

 - Why do they go to Neti’s? She is too old for them.

- They don’t go there because of Neti, they go there because Neti doesn’t lend out her books out of the house.

- But they not only read, they also party among themselves. They drink wine and Neti allows the girls to join midst the boys.

- They are not adults, only young boys and the girls are only fourteen.

- There will be trouble “ opportunity gives possibility to lure”

- Oh true! The devil never sleeps. No No !

This was how the parents were talking. Neti’s door remained open along with her heart for the youngsters. From the readings a romance developed. Józsi one day came to his mother.

 - Mother I would like to get married.

- To get married? You are not engaged.

- There is ! Dear mother I do love someone and am engaged.

- But really, who would you take? I don’t know of anyone.

- I am taking Kati, my old sweetheart.

- Kati!! This I could miss! It is true that she is your former girlfriend, sure I know about it, don’t fret. But     what kind of a girl is she that goes regularly to Netike midst the boys.

- Sure she came because dear Mother she loves me also.

- Go away from me. I don’t want to see you any more.

What a pity this rejection. The marriege between Józsi and Kati became quite admirable. So as the custom, after the birth of the first grandchild, perfect peace existed between the old and the young.

( My cousin Fekete Feri told the story)

c. Goose ganders

In the past many Jewish families lived in Dunapentele. Most of them were well to do, with lots of money, or industrialists. They had a service maid , and some even had two, an upper maid and a lower maid. A few Jewish families even had a German nanny for the children.  They had from where and could afford to spend. A poor man’s daughter could use the payment of her small monthly service wage well. Out this she could buy herself a nice dress, nice shoes, and stuff she needed for her dowry.

Goose meat was the best liked Jewish food. In the old world people were religious, and so also were the Jews. As in the Jewish custom poultry was killed at the throat and only the “shakter” was allowed to do this. He had an instrument, razor-sharp, that he could cut the animal’s neck with, in one instant it was killed and didn’t suffer.

Naturally the servant girl  used to take the poultry that was to be slaughtered. They went there very troubled because they were afraid of the shakter. Maybe this was because he had such sharp instruments. In my childhood we used to frighten one another with the shakter.

Farkas Számi ( Samuel) a merchant, once trusted his servant girl Rosi with an especially big-grown goose.

 - Are you able to carry it? – asked Mr. Merchant to the girl. – I can see that you can barely reach the handles of the basket.

-  Yes I can carry it if I must! But please liston to me honored sir!  I would like it better if I could cut the throat of this enourmously heavy goose. I really don’t know why it must be dragged to the shacter?

- Not your mouth should be talking, but your feet should be walking, go already !

The goose was so heavy that Rosi was tottering from one side to the other dragging it in the big basket. Damm, the devil should take care of this thing.  I will win out by wit. The devil can take it to the shacter. Anyway I am afraid of him like fire. This goose will perish without the shakter!

Her girlfriend was serving at Kánitz Móric the merchant, so she went by way of that road. The Kanitz family, even the honorable lady, used to work during the whole day at the shop, only for dinner at noon they went to there apartment. Here is a good opportunity, they both, she and her girlfriend will deal with the goose.

Quickly she smuggled herself through the big arched gate.

 - You, Marie –she whispered into the ear of the other girl –quickly take a big sharp knife.  Hurry! I ‘m not going to take this  heavy as lead goose to the shakter! Come, help me, we will run down to Brettyó stream with it.!

- Oh, you are crazy, how crazy! There will be a lot of trouble from this, you will see. – said Marie- but she quickly snatched out the sharpest biggest knife and hurried with Rozi to the Brettyó valley. ( Today Tolstoj Valley). Beside the bridge they crept under the brushes in the brook.

- Oh, oh Rozi! This knife isn’t as sharp as the shakter’s instument? Oh this huge goose will never die!

- Don’ t you wail any more Marie, I will squeeze it so it won’t splash about, and you will cut its neck quickly.

- Look Rozi, how ugly his neck has become. They will notice it, it isn’t like it should have been.

- You see my dear friend, you see it is already done. I will even out its neck at home. Tell me when you need anything, I will also help, from now on we will not go to the shakter! But not  a word to anybody.

When Farkas Számi met the shakter he asked proudly:

 - Please Irvin, what do you say about that enourmous goose of ours?

- When did you have this enourmous goose?

- Oh, the one sent you last week.

- Don’t be foolish Számi, you did not send a goose last week.

- Are you serious?

- Really, the servant didn’t bring any goose.

- Well then there is big trouble!

The merchant Számi came to the kitchen very angry

- You Rozi! Did you or didn’t you take the enourmous goose to the shakter last week?! Listen, you girl! The shakter said that you didn’t bring a goose to him! Look into my eyes and not at the stones on the kitchen floor, you, you !!

Rozi became red as pepricka (hot red pepper). She just looked down and wasn’t able to look at the master. Farkas the merchant became more enraged , he was guessing as to how it happened. He shouted at the girl:

 - You, you girl! Who cut the throat of that goose?!

- Me!! Honorable sir, you must know that it was me! – shouted Rozi sobbing  - I am also able to cut it, and I am not going to take it there any more. It was so heavy, like the devil! We didn’t have any problems even though I cut its neck nobody choked on it. Correct?

- How dare you shout, you good for nothing. Take your bundle right away and don’t stop till you reach your mother’s house! Dissappear from my sight! I don’t want to see you any more.

Rozi collapsed onto a wooden chair because she didn’t have any strength in her feet. Home? How can I go home? Her mother would chase her back, why, because there is a big need for the money she earns here. She can’t allow herself to go home! She can’t stay here either, she was discharged. What should she do? Does she have to go to the Danube over a goose?

She shrieked and wailed bitterly. She was unable to gather her bundle, only cried and moaned.

 - You are still her? – stamped the merchant master- liston, girl! Your mother takes the Easter food to the church on Easter for blessing because it your religious practice, we have the shacter cut the throat of the goose because this is our religious custom.

- Honorable sir, please forgive me this goose! I can not go home.  I have a good position here, and from now on I will always take the poultry to the shakter. – cried Rozi.

- Go back to your work! But if another time…………….

( Story told  by my older cousin Újbányi  Ilus)

[Page 40]

In May 1996 I went for a visit to the Jewish cemetery, the 6th  plot on the left side parralel to the Danube, at the Hundred Leg Bridge, after the upper inlet ( the place where the beach is free).The fence is new: made of red brick, in the middle there is a gate with a black painted Star of David with two wings. Locked. Above the entrance there is an arch built of red brick. This was built by the Organization of Beautification of Pentele.

After the rainfall I was wandering in the high grass, looking around, jotting down notes, and drawing. I was exploring the differences between the Big Cemetery and this one. There are and there aren't. I enjoy going there, taking flowers, a candle, and wreaths. There is always someone to be seen, who is taking care of his loved one's grave. Here is an island of peace where the soul can rest.

There is a deathlike-silence. Right now there are no visitors. Approximately 100 burial places (monuments) can be seen in this plot below the uneven clay bed. The upkeep can be very difficult, (last year the Museum took care of cutting the grass, the Society of Friends of Pentele also takes care, students of Szórád school, and the organization of Town Protectors).

Crosses can not be seen, tombs out of limestone and granite with Hebrew and Latin inscriptions are more than in any other cemetery.

There are family tombs, but I have seen couples buried seperately.  Some of the stones are cracked, some where the insrciptions can not be read. Sometimes there is a grave stone that has no name and grave stones that are finished in a curve.

The Hebrew inscriptions were done in Budapest by Bineter, 5 Károly Avenue.
The oldest date of birth I have seen: 1806

I have seen the following inscriptions:

Herczeg Ferencné  Born Freund Emilia Born 1851  Died 1911  In her 43rd year of happy marriege  May she rest in peace  (black granite obelisk)	(Hebrew inscription,Latin below)  Here lies  Herczeg Ferenc  1846-1912  May he rest in peace  (black granite obelisk)	(black granite)  Farkas Sámuelné  Born Müller Berta  1856-1933  Blessed be her memory	Here liesFarkas Samuel  1852-1940  New plantings:  Tulips  Forget-me-nots  Snow bells
(grey limestone decorated with a Weeping Willow tree)  Borsodi Sándor  Died January 7, 1890  In his 37th year  Mourning his loving wife  Only child  And grieving parents Peace on his ashes	Klein Jakabné  Died 1914	(inside  a 60cm high black fence)  Pfeffer Ignácz  Died November 15,1895  In his 70th year  Mourning after him his wailing widow  And children  Peace and blessing on his ashes	Pfeffer Ignáczné  Born Vibganer Lídia  Died November 10,1907  In her 72nd year  Mourning her wailing children  (below Hebrew inscription)  (a nut tree with climbing vine)
(grey limestone)  Kánitz József  Former president of Jewish Community  Born 1838  Died November 28, 1916  Mourning his loving family  Jewish scholar and warrior of Jewish thought  He never gave in  His heart great and heroic  His nature strong  His life  an example of work and morality	Kánitz Rudolf  Died at the age of 66  July 28,1906	Bruck Simon  1832-1908	Bruck Simonné  Born Rosenthal Johanna  1837-1909
Bruck Rezsõ  1896-1910	Goldberger Dávid  1878-1916  Lived for his family  Died for his country	Bruck Ernõné  Born Bruck Adél  Lived 47 years  Died January 20,1922  Peace and blessing on her dear ashes  Mourning her loving husband  And two sad daughters  Juliska and Aranka  Your memory will live forever in our hearts	A symbolic monument for those dear ones  That were dragged away in 1944  His wife Goldberger Dávidné  His daughter Janka  His son-in-law Bruck Imre

On the right and left side of the cemetery are family dwellings with small plots. There are many on both sides.  Whether they(the residents) are there in winter I do not know. I would suggest that there should be a sign put on the cemetery gate (at least from spring to fall) that the key could be found with the neighbors, so that visiters that come unexpectedly would not have to go to the Town Hall to the The Society for Beautification ( the office is mostly closed because of their other occupations, they are not always there at that time), or to the Szórád School, or to the President of the Pentele Community Center on the the Temetõ St.

How could those that come from far away know where to find the key?  There are no signs with directions. The fence is high. It is possible to peep from 3 meters, or from the neighbor's side where there is an open iron fence. This is very unsatisfactory.

Long ago the cemetery was an open and unrestricted place with a caretaker. Anyone who wanted could enter.

Many of the residents in town don't even know where the Jewish Cemetery is.

H-né  Ilonka:  When I was a child I saw a Jewish funural in the north of the country. The deceased was wrapped in white linen tied in two places by black ribbons. Like this he was put into the grave.

[Page 43]

 

Krámer  Simon
Goldner Vilmos	1832-1892
Szabados Lajos	1864-1893
Salamon Steiner
Lukács Mór	1851-1923
Krausz Joachim	1839-1028	son of Yahuda
Krausz Joachimné	1848-1927	born Bruck Flóra
Bruck Simonné	1881-1934	born Binet Zsófia *
Bruck Mór
Dr. Strasser Lipót	1846-1927
Dr. Strasser Lipótné	1848-1886	born Braun Róza
Pfeiffer Ignáczné	died November 10,1907
Kohn Jakabné	1846-1903	born Grünwald Fanny
Goldberger Dávidné  daughter Janka  Bruck Imre		symbolic grave put up by Goldberger Dávid
Weisz Mór	1866-1936
Weisz Mártonné	died October 7 1902
Weisz Erzsébet	lived 24 years
Weisz Zsigmond	1877-1941
Yakov Zvi ben Eliyahu		This is also a symbolic grave for our dear mother who was abducted  in 1944

* Was the mother of Goldenberg Lajosné born Bruck Manci

[Page 67]

From Historical Hungary 300 thousand emmigrated, ( about 10% of Israel’s population)

Peace should rein under the olive tree!

I showed a lot of pictures of the Holy Land because Jerusalem is also Holy to them. The wailing wall, they don’t call it like us, the wall of the destroyed temple, they pray and doven and touch the wall with their face and hands. In the stone gaps many put small folded papers with their requests written on them. These stones have “seen” Jesus, as they are 2000 years old.

The pictures of Israel let us get to know better their customs, clothing etc. Let us accept the differences and the church too has dropped their inflexible position of the hundreds. There are more ceremonies in ecumenic(universal) style. Pope János II also endorses this modern view.

The graveyard here is visited by the descendants. Newly planted flowers gives evidence to this.

They come from America, Budapest and Pécs.

We make an effort to keep up this reverent place and when we visit the Big Cemetery we put flowers on the right side of the central entrance below the marker with the names of the martyrs.

Memorial for Deported Victims

Name	Occupation	Date of birth	Age
Bruck Ernõ	Grain   Merchant	1880	64
Bruck Ernõné	House wife	1885	59
Deutsch Lajos	Tailor	1900	44
Deutsch Lajosné	Textiles	1902	42
Deutsch Anna (Panni)**	Young girl	1920	24
Deutsch Áron	Leather store	1904	40
Deutsch Mózes	Leather store	1902	42
Farkas Sámuel	Merchant: textiles/iron	1890	54
Farkas Sámuelné	House wife	1895	49
Feith Andor	Merchant	1900	44
Frankl Zsigmond	Land owner	1872	72
Frankl Zsigmondné	Land owner	1878	66
Fritz Móricz	General store	1862	82
Fritz Oszkár	General store	1897	47
Fritz Oszkárné	Housewife	1903	41
Fritz Péter	Student	1926	18
Goldenberg Aladárné *	Former Cantor's wife	1880?	64
Goldenberg Lajosné	Housewife	1916	28
Goldenberg Éva	Pupil	1936	8
Hermann Árpád	Salesman	1908	36
Kánitz Móricz	General store	1880	64
Kánitz Móriczné	House wife	1885	59
Kánitz Friderika	Merchant	1904	40
KhonnéDeutsch Rozália	Fowl Merchant	1901	43
Khon Márta	House wife	1926	18
Khon Endre	Student	1931	13
Kiss Miklós	Spice merchant	1885	59
Kiss Miklósné	Housewife	1892	52
Kiss Sára	Merchant	1915	29
Krámmer Márta	House wife	1900	44
Krámmer Marianna	Housewife	1910	34
Dr.Lax Jenõ	Doctor	1905	39
Dr Lax Jenõné	Housewife	1907	37
Lax Péter János	Pupil	1936	8
Lusztig Ákos	Clerk	1895	49
Lusztig Katalin	Clerk	1906	38
Lusztig Áron	Clerk	1903	41
Paskus Endre András	Cantor	1915	29
Parkus Endre Andrásné	Housewife	1917	27
Paskus Edit	Pupil	1934	10
Paskus Ella	Pupil	1936	8
Paskus Endre	Pupil	1938	6
Paskus Mária	Child	1940	4
Pechner Dávid	Tailor shop	1887	57
Szekulesz Mihály	Brewery	1886	58
Szekulesz László	Public house	1894	50
Szekulesz Rozália	Housewife	1899	45
Szekulesz Lászlóné	Housewife	1902	42
Szekulesz Sarolta	Student	1923	21
Szekulesz Pál	Student	1930	14
Sziklai Miklós	General store	1890	54
Sziklai Miklósné	General store	1892	52
Weisz Jakab	Inn: owner	1887	57
Weisz Rozália	Inn: family	1910	34
Weisz Katalin	Inn: family	1913	31
Weisz Irén	Inn: family	1915	29
Wolmann Béla	General store	1889	55

*Grandmother of Vera, not in original list.
** Her nickname

Lajos House Today

Family Name	Address	Lajos House Today
Ihász – auntie	Tót St. ( now Petõfi St.)	Coffee House
Goldbergerné	"	Tobacco
Rezsina –auntie	"
Sziklai family	"	(general store)
Goldenberg Lajos Bela	"	( Bicycle shop)*
Goldenberg Aladárné**	?	Wife of former cantor
Paskus Endre András	Tot St. ( now Petõfi St.)	Jewish cantor
Pajzs Miklós	Magyar St.
Dr Lax Jenõ	"
Farkas Sámuel	"
Erdõs family	"
Veisz Kóbi	"
Wollmann family	"
Fritz Móric	"
Peckner Dávid	"
Kiss Miklós	"
Deutsch Lajos	Lengyel Lane	Tailor
Bruck family	Gõzmalom St.  (now Baracsi St.)
Szekulesz family	Temetõ	Pub- brewery

*Goldenberg Lajos also worked in contructing the electrical wiring for all the towns in the vicinity together with Erdõsi (Surname not known).
** Grandmother of Vera, not in original list.

    Dunapentele, Hungary     Yizkor Book Project     JewishGen Home Page

Copyright © 1999-2024 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 27 Aug 2005 by LA