us-005578-irn90331-irn515526
type: RecordSet
archival history: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
biographical history: Magda Mezei was born on July 18, 1923, in Budapest, Hungary, to Henrik and Berta Neumann Mezei. Henrik was born on October 25, 1891, in Munkacs, Austro-Hungary (now Mukacheve, Ukraine) to Maurice (Mor) and Julia Altman Feldman. Mor was born in 1848 in Ungvar, Russian Empire (now Uzhhorod, Ukraine) and died in Budapest in 1920. Julia was born in Miskolc, Hungary in 1863. Henrik had three brothers. Magda’s mother Berta was born February 22, 1897, in Temesvar, Austro-Hungary (now Lugoj, Romania), to Moricz and Rosa Links Altman. Moricz was born in 1871 in Facsad (Faget) Romania. Rosa was born in 1877 in Zsolna (Slovakia) Austro-Hungary. The family moved to Budapest, where Mor died on April 12, 1920. Madga's father Henrik was a decorated veteran of World War I (1914-1918), and was wounded twice during his four years of wartime service with the Hungarian Army. He changed his name in 1915 to Mezei, a more Hungarian sounding name, and settled in Budapest. Henrik had a brother who immigrated to Argentina during the interwar years. Henrik worked his way up to director of the Goldberg textile factory, one of the largest producers of textiles in Hungary. Magda had two brothers, Janos, born on March 14, 1922, and Gyorgy, born April 15, 1936. The eldest child, Klara, died in infancy (April-May, 1921.) The family had a very comfortable life with a live-in maid and a car. They were moderately assimilated, celebrating both Jewish and Christian holidays, often with parties in their music room, where her mother played the piano and her father, the harp. The children attended a Dutch reform primary school. Janos continued at Koelcsey Ferenc Gymnasium for eight years, while Magda attended a Jewish lyceum and then the Commercial Academy of Budapest where she learned business skills, such as typing and accounting. Magda's maternal grandfather died in 1937. In 1940, the Hungarian government made forced labor service mandatory for all able bodied Jewish males. In 1941, the forced labor bat…
conditions of use: Copyright Holder: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
has beginning date: 1915-01-01
has end date: 1946-12-31
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 2
has or had identifier: 1
has or had subject: 701
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn515526
is or was included in: us-005578-irn90331
record resource extent: folder 1
record resource structure: Arrangement is in the order in which received
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: The papers consist of photographs of Magda Lapedus' family members before World War II as well as photographs of the grave of her brother, Janos Mezei, in Linz, Austria, and an identification card issued to Berta Mezei (donor's mother) at the Bindermichl displaced person (DP) camp in Linz, Austria, in 1946.
title: Magda Lapedus papers