Brandeisz Elza

Brandeisz, Elza Mrs. Béla Lajtai was a Jewish woman who operated a school of modern dance in Budapest. Elza Brandeisz was one of her students, who later became a teacher in the school as well as one of Lajtai’s close friends. During the aryanization of the Jewish businesses in the city, the school was registered under Brandeisz’s name so that the school would not be confiscated. Both Lajtai and Brandeisz continued to teach at the school until the city’s Jews were forced to leave their homes and relocate to specially designated yellow-star houses. When Lajtai entered the yellow-star house, Brandeisz helped her as much as she could, bringing her food, and even arranging a letter of protection through the Portuguese embassy, which she hoped would protect Lajtai from deportation. In the meantime, Brandeisz helped another Jew, Judit Baló, who was one of the students at the school. After the German invasion, Brandeisz arranged to have Baló hidden by a friend in the city of Győr. But Baló couldn’t stay there after the neighbors’ suspicions were aroused. Brandeisz hid Baló for many months in a summer house she owned in Balatonalmádi, near Lake Balaton. Through Baló, Brandeisz met Bözsi Soros, another Jewish woman from Budapest. As the danger to Budapests’ Jews increased, Soros also came to Almádi and found refuge in Brandeisz’s summer house. In the meantime, Baló had moved on to another hiding place. Because Soros had forged papers identifying her as an Aryan, she was able to work as a clerk for the German army. Eventually, however, she aroused suspicion and was forced to flee. Brandeisz fled together with her and helped her for a number of months until the liberation. Brandeisz risked her life by helping Jews. She received no compensation for her activities. Soros’s son György, who for a short period also hid in Balatonalmádi, later wrote: “Brandeisz came from a believing Christian family, and it was her religious faith that motivated her to save Jews.” The survivorsstayed in touch with Brandeisz for many years. On November 12, 1995, Yad Vashem recognized Elza Brandeisz as Righteous Among the Nations.