Children of Survival: Post-Holocaust Care Institutions in Szeged

Abstract The immediate post-Holocaust period, especially the restart of children’s lives, remains an understudied part of Hungarian Holocaust history. Our article presents the Zionist children’s homes in post-war Szeged. Like most European Jewish cities, Szeged lost much of its Jewish population during the Holocaust. Szeged was the main deportation hub for villages and towns in the area. In June 1944, about 8,600 Jews were deported from Szeged over three days. The first train went to Auschwitz; most were murdered. The second train split between Auschwitz and the Strasshof labor camp. The third train went to Strasshof, where most survived. Thus, Szeged’s Jews, including children and the elderly, had an unusually high survival rate. This survival rate may help explain why five Zionist organizations in the city opened orphanages after the war. Residents included children from distant regions, locals, orphans, half-orphans, and even those from intact families. This variety reflects the many stories of Hungary’s “children of the Holocaust.” Both the makeup of these groups and their educational methods and aims were unusual. In this article, we present the distinctive features of these institutions, often referred to as orphanages. We use archival materials and testimonies to show their work.