Sandwiched Between the Books

Agnes Schwartz: Holocaust Survivor from the Illinois Holocaust Museum

Season 1 Episode 5

From Budapest, Hungary, Agnes Schwartz was 10 years old when German forces occupied her town and her family was forced to move into a “Jewish Designated” or “Yellow Star” building. Their Catholic housekeeper, Julia, took Agnes to her home before the ghetto was established and claimed her as her niece. Agnes became a “hidden child,” living in the open but living in fear, not knowing when her family would be reunited. During the Allied bombings, she was sent underground to hide for months. Her father was saved by Raoul Wallenberg and hidden in one of his safe houses. Her grandmother, aunt, and uncle were rounded up and shot into the Danube River. Agnes’ mother was deported and perished at Bergen Belsen concentration camp. Her book, “A Roll of the Dice,” is in its second publication.

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