Járosi Andor & Laura

Járosi, Andor Járosi, Laura Andor Járosi served as Dean of the Lutheran Church in Northern Transylvania between the years 1941-1944. He lived with his wife Laura and their daughter Margit in the city of Kolozsvár / Cluj (today Romania). A scholar and a writer, Járosi was an enlightened man who was highly involved in the cultural life of his city. He counted so many Jews among his friends that his superiors warned him, only partly in jest, that such friendships could be problematic, given the reigning political climate. Despite these warnings, Járosi did not hesitate to pray for the victims of fascism, from the pulpit, in the presence of a large congregation. Following the German occupation, many people in the city were arrested. Among those arrested were Imre Kádár and his wife Rozália. At the time of the arrest, the Germans closed the Kádárs’ home with a seal, leaving the couple’s two children homeless. The son, away at university at the time, fled to the home of relatives in the provinces. The couple’s high-school-aged daughter, Anna, was a friend of Margit Járosi. When she found that she could not go home, Anna approached the Járosis, who agreed to hide her. Laura Járosi treated Anna as if she were her own daughter, staying with her in the apartment during air raids, rather than go down to the bomb shelter. Margit Járosi did her best to divert Anna’s attention from the German soldiers who stayed in the area, so she would not be frightened. In the meantime, Andor Járosi visited his Jewish friends, both in the hospital and in the Gestapo prison. He did everything he could to get them letters of protection that would facilitate their release. Anna hid with the Járosi family for a month. She lived in constant fear of discovery, and didn’t even dare to go to the window. The Járosi family provided her with clothing and food. They were also an important source of emotional support, especially since the girl didn’t know the fate of her parents until Járosi locatedthem in jail. After a month with the Járosi family, Anna moved to a village, where she went into hiding at the home of a different clergyman. Soon, however, she aroused suspicion, and Laura brought her back to Kolozsvár. At the end of May 1944, the Kádárs and their daughter Anna decided to escape from Kolozsvár to Budapest, where they stayed until the liberation. Their son perished in Dachau. After the liberation of Kolozsvár, Andor Járosi was arrested by the Soviet army. He died in captivity in Magnitogorsk in December 1944. His bravery, however, was never forgotten by the Jews he saved. On April 26, 1999, Yad Vashem recognized the Andor and Laura Járosi as Righteous Among the Nations.