us-005578-irn517285-irn517287
type: RecordSet
archival history: The document case was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2005 by Deborah Kronenberger, the daughter of Louis Davis.
biographical history: Ladislav Davidovic (Louis Davis) was born on May 27, 1923, in Belke, Czechoslovakia (Ukraine), part of the SubCarpathian Rus. His mother, Malvina Maizlik, was born on January 28, 1900, in Osry to a well-to-do family. She was the youngest of twelve siblings, with one sister and one brother living in the United States. His father, Yehuda-Yitzhak (Izák) Davidovic, was born on April 1, 1898, in Bilke. He was the eldest of three brothers: Schmuel, Herschel, married to Rose Stein, and Zeleg who ran a lumber and leather export firm, and two sisters, Fanny and Margaret, who lived in the US. His father was a prosperous banker, and also a biblical scholar with a Yeshiva education. Malvina and Isaac married on September 6, 1922 and resided in Belke. In 1937, Louis was sent to the prestigious Hebrew Gymnasium in Munkacs (Mukecheve, Ukraine), where he became fluent in Hebrew and English. In 1938-1939, that region of Czechoslovakia was seized and annexed by Hungary, a longtime German ally. Laws stripped Jews of their rights and forced them out of many professions. Louis parent’s thought they would be able to ride out this surge of anti-Semitism, as Jews had done throughout history. His father had been a sergeant in the Hungarian Army during World War I and thought that also would help them stay safe. Izak was jailed for a short time, but was able to bribe officials and get released. Under the new laws, he was not allowed to have a business, so he found a non-Jew to act as the owner, and was able to still operate the business. The Hebrew Gymnasium was closed with the arrival of the Hungarians in November 1938, but it was allowed to reopen in January 1939 as the Jewish Gymnasium. When Louis graduated in 1943, he was drafted into the army and told that he would be serving as an officer. When he arrived, he was ridiculed and humiliated for thinking a Jew could be an officer and wear a uniform. His uniform was ripped off him and his saber was replaced with a shovel. He was made leader…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Rectangular, clear, yellowed, plastic envelope case with brown cloth sewn around the edges to bind the 2 sides. It has one pocket opening and an accordion fold on the sides and bottom.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
has beginning date: 1943-01-01
has end date: 1946-12-31
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn517287
is or was included in: us-005578-irn517285
record resource extent: overall: Height: 6.250 inches (15.875 cm) | Width: 4.500 inches (11.43 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Document case used by 21-year old Ladislav Davidovic who served in a Hungarian forced labor unit on the eastern front in 1943. He kept his school records with him through the war, perhaps in this document case, where they stayed safe until liberation. Ladislav was from a region in Czechoslovakia that was annexed by Hungary in 1938. He was able to continue at the Jewish Gymnasium, but when he graduated in 1943, he was ordered into the Hungarian army, close allies of Nazi Germany. He was put in charge of a forced labor squad of Jewish boys who were responsible for rebuilding bombed railroads on the eastern front during the German retreat from Russia. After liberation, Louis returned to find his family gone, so he went to Prague. He was eventually reunited with his father and mother, who had survived Auschwitz. The family emigrated to the United States in 1946.
title: Plastic document case used by a former Hungarian Jewish forced laborer