us-005578-irn58677-irn3332
history: Eva Ehrlich (1924-2009) was born Eva Hevesi in Budapest, Hungary to Dr. Ferenc (1898-1952) and Magda (nee Rottenstein, 1906-1977) Hevesi. Ferenc worked as a rabbi in the city of Székesfehérvár, Hungary. In 1930, the family returned to Budapest, where they shared a large apartment with Ferenc’s parents, Simon (1868-1943) and Janka (Johanna, 1872-1945) Hevesi. Simon was the chief rabbi of Hungary, and Ferenc worked under his father at the Dohany Street synagogue. The combined household was very traditional, and they observed all of the holidays and ate exclusively kosher. They had a close extended family, and they regularly met at Eva’s grandparents’ home for meals. When Eva was around 9 or 10, she moved with her parents into their own apartment. She was educated at private elementary and secondary schools, where she learned French, German and English. Although Eva had many non-Jewish friends as a child, she did experience some antisemitism. During a Friday night service in 1932, her father had to disarm a shooter who came into his synagogue. Things became worse for the Jewish population as Hungary began instituting anti-Jewish policies modeled after German laws in 1938, and then joined the Axis alliance in November 1940. Eva continued attending school alongside her classmates, most of whom were also Jewish. However, some of her male friends were conscripted into forced labor battalions to support the war effort. Eva and her family were able to keep abreast of the war by illegally listening to Allied radio broadcasts. When Eva graduated high school in 1942, most Jews were prohibited from attending university. After much difficulty, a connection of the family was able to get Eva enrolled, but she was prohibited from attending medical school as she had wanted. In 1943, Eva’s grandfather, Simon, died. Ferenc and a colleague succeeded him as co-chief rabbis of Hungary. Following Hungarian attempts to sign an armistice with the Allies, the German army occupied Hungary on M…
record resource extent: overall: | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm) | Diameter: 1.375 inches (3.493 cm)
has record set type: Item
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn58677-irn3332/alternateIDs/1
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
title: Orszagos Leventeverseny medal owned by a Hungarian Jewish family
is or was included in: us-005578-irn58677
type: RecordSet
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
has beginning date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1942-01-01
scope and content: Medal for the 1942 Orszagos Leventeverseny (National Levente Competition), awarded to a member of Eva Hevesi Ehrlich’s family. The levente movement provided a framework for government-mandated physical education for Hungarian male youths under 21. It was increasingly militarized, and became controlled by the Ministry of Defense in 1941. A branch for girls was created in June 1942. Eva was living in Budapest, Hungary, with her parents, Ferenc and Magda Hevesi, when the war in Europe began in September 1939. Ferenc was a rabbi at the Dohány Street synagogue under his father, Simon Hevesi, who was chief rabbi of Hungary. When Simon died in 1943, Ferenc and a colleague succeeded him as co-chief rabbis. Hungary was allied with Germany, but when the Hungarian government began seeking a ceasefire with the Allies, the German army occupied Hungary on March 19, 1944. When the radically antisemitic, German-backed Arrow Cross Party took control of the government on October 15, Eva and her family went into hiding. The section of the city they were in was liberated by the Soviet army on January 16, 1945. Eva’s paternal grandmother had starved to death during the occupation, her maternal grandmother died shortly after liberation, and her fiancé was shot and thrown into the Danube River. Ferenc became a chaplain for the Hungarian army, and returned to his former rabbinical duties. Eva returned to college and met a Hungarian-American soldier with the American military mission. In the fall of 1946, Eva immigrated to the United States with her husband, followed shortly by her father and mother. Eva and her husband divorced in 1949. She then married Bernard Ehrlich in 1950.
history: The medal was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990 by Eva Ehrlich.
has end date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1942-12-31
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn58677-irn3332/acquisitions/1
physical characterisitics and technical requirements: Small, circular, gold colored metal medal with a relief of 3 left-facing, bare chested, male warriors in classical style. The man on the right has a shield and a spear, the crowned man in the center has a battle axe, and the man on the left has a bow and arrows. There are vertical lines around the figures and a halo-like circle around the crowned man’s head. The back has a raised rim and a raised center circle with 3 lines of text. Around the edge is an oak leaf and wheat wreath with a bow.
has or had some members with language: hun
has or had holder: us-005578
identifier: irn3332