First Person: Conversations with Holocaust Survivors

Holocaust survivor Peter Gorog has no memories of his father, Árpád. After Hungarian authorities sent Árpád away in 1940 to perform forced labor, he wrote home regularly to his wife and baby boy. In one letter, he wrote, “I gaze on the pictures I have, and they give me strength to struggle.” But at one point, the letters stopped. Then, in March 1944, after Nazi German forces occupied Hungary, Jews in Budapest faced increasing danger. Peter recalls sitting at the breakfast table as police charged in and took away his mother. Watch to discover what happened next.

Submit a question for Peter during the live discussion on Wednesday, November 20, at 1 p.m. ET by signing into your YouTube or Gmail account.

First Person is a monthly, hour-long interview between journalist Bill Benson and a Holocaust survivor on the Museum’s YouTube page, including questions from the audience. This program is made possible through generous support from the Louis Franklin Smith Foundation.