Major Crimes and True Crime

István Domonkos looked up to his older brother, Péter. "He was a much better student than I was," István admitted. "He was an excellent mathematician."  But Péter graduated high school just as Hungary passed the first of three major anti-Jewish laws in May 1938. As a result of these laws, tens of thousands of Jews lost their jobs, businesses, or livelihoods. “In that world with the anti-Jewish laws one couldn’t get a decent job,” recalled István.  During World War II, the Hungarian government required Péter to perform forced labor because he was Jewish. His forced labor unit was sent to the warfront in summer 1942.  Less than a year later, Péter’s father received a note that read, “We inform you that Péter Domonkos, forced laborer, who was born in 1919 in Budapest, mother’s name Gabriella Rózsa, died in January 1943 at Marki and was buried on the site.” Both István and his father survived the Holocaust. Photo: USHMM, Centropa Collection #Holocaust #History less

István Domonkos looked up to his older brother, Péter. "He was a much better student than I was," István admitted. "He was an excellent mathematician."  But Péter graduated high school just as Hungary passed the first of three major anti-Jewish laws in May 1938. As a result of these laws, tens of thousands of Jews lost their jobs, businesses, or livelihoods. “In that world with the anti-Jewish laws one couldn’t get a decent job,” recalled István.  During World War II, the Hungarian government required Péter to perform forced labor because he was Jewish. His forced labor unit was sent to the warfront in summer 1942.  Less than a year later, Péter’s father received a note that read, “We inform you that Péter Domonkos, forced laborer, who was born in 1919 in Budapest, mother’s name Gabriella Rózsa, died in January 1943 at Marki and was buried on the site.” Both István and his father survived the Holocaust. Photo: USHMM, Centropa Collection #Holocaust #History less