Zámky v plamenech

The laws against the Jews were constantly tightening, bringing with them hardship and humiliation. New anti-Jewish decrees appeared every day in the newspapers and were also posted on the walls of buildings. Jews were required to wear a yellow star, ten centimeters in diameter, sewn on their clothing just above the heart. Rich and poor alike were forcibly moved into houses marked with a yellow star. Special ration cards were issued with a limited purchase value. It was dangerous to walk the streets. The Allies were preparing to bomb, and the people of Budapest were rehearsing their alarm in cellar shelters. Death threatened from everywhere. Escaped eyewitnesses confirmed rumours of deportations and gas chambers. It seemed that the future was cancelled.Some of the newly created underclass decided that the best revenge was to take their own lives. When the Germans entered Budapest in March 1944, the number of suicides increased exponentially. The suffering continued after the Red Army "liberated" the Hungarian capital. Some of the liberators behaved worse than the Nazis. And the sinister seed of communism began to sprout from the desperate desire of the people for a happier life. Most saw it as hope, but few saw it as a weed that would soon infest not only Europe...Magda Dénes, who was ten years old at the time of the Holocaust, later became a US citizen and psychoanalyst.

Czech edition