Beyond The Horror – Gardens, Ghettos And Georgina

In December 1944, whilst heavy snows fell over Budapest and soldiers battled for the streets, Georgina, a young Jewish woman was nearly starving to death with her newborn child. … For Georgina there was no choice. Alone and completely vulnerable, she headed out into the freezing cold. Her story is the story of many in the years of war and occupation in Europe in the twentieth century told now in Gabriella Kovac’s Georgina – She Beat The Holocaust. Joining Jacquelynne Willcox for a discussion of survival under repression in twentieth century Europe, Gabriella Kovac addressed The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 8 April 2014.

BEYOND THE HORROR – GARDENS, GHETTOS AND GEORGINA

GABRIELLA KOVAC

Thank you ladies and gentlemen for your attendance, and for allowing me to have the opportunity to tell you about my book Georgina.

Since the beginning of time and life on earth, man’s goal has been to achieve freedom and to overcome oppression. My mother Georgina’s life is the story of how she, as an individual Jewess, dealt with the suppression of her country, Hungary.

As a small child I heard how most of my family died or managed to survive during the military occupation by Nazi Germany.

You will read in this book, the adventures of my father, mother and uncle; they were the unsung heroes. This book is dedicated to them. You will also find in this book a true and accurate account of historical facts of those times, which resulted from years of extensive research. I can vouch for Georgina my mother’s incredible survival ability because she saved my life shortly after

During World War II, my mother had an impossible task to obtain penicillin to save the life of her baby daughter in a post-war, devastated and ransacked country, and I am here today – that baby. She then managed to keep her family prosperous during next assault on the country through the Soviet communist occupation of the 1950s when others barely survived.

Georgina’s extraordinary life challenges inspired me to write the story for the benefit of future generations so we do not forget and may use the information to help handle our own adversities in our own lives. Georgina dealt with overwhelming obstacles by treating it as a game and flourished in the process. Yes, her story is about the Second World War and living under Communism, but it is much more than that. It is an inspiration for today.

How do you overcome your own challenges in your life? I think we can all learn from Georgina.

Georgina died in 2000. Before her death, I wrote a point-by-point summary of her adventures. It was only seven pages and she read it and confirmed its accuracy. She said “seven pages – a lifetime”. Well mum, the seven pages became 20 and now it is a book of more than 150 pages of unpadded information. Many are reading it and being inspired.

Today we use psychiatry and pill popping to handle our depressions. Seventy years ago, Georgina overcame her obstacles and near death threats daily by confronting them head on, and winning. Georgina’s story shows that when a threat comes to us we can deal with it in different ways. We can run from it. We can pretend it does not exist. We can give into it. Or we can fight and, by far, this is the best option. The other options we will eventually regret or die as a consequence of them.

Millions were killed in World War II. Some 8 million were slaughtered; 6 million of these were Jews. They died, not as soldiers in a war but because of a mad man named Hitler. So, how on earth did Georgina survive? Georgina changed her hair colour to blond and acquired a false passport. This way she had beaten the mad fascist law demanding that Jews wear a yellow star so they could be persecuted, humiliated and murdered. If she was found out, it would have meant instant death. Georgina knew the risk but she would rather fight than be slaughtered like an animal. Once the war was over she bought a gold star at a great expense and never took it off.

What can we learn from this? When you are threatened, think outside the square and outsmart your enemy.

Georgina always managed to think outside the square, time after time and beat her enemies. For example, she set up a cottage industry while living under Communism and provided a life style of plenty while the citizens of her country were near starvation and had to stand in line for bread as the country’s wealth was shipped to Mother Russia.

Her favourite saying was: “The streets are paved with gold, you just find out how to pick it up.” Georgina knew how to pick the gold up. Personally, my most momentous experience of my mother’s extraordinary power was in the 1950s. We were woken by my uncle in the early hours of the morning. He had to shake us awake, telling us that the secret police were at the door. He had to flee as he was already a wanted man.

My father, grandmother, my older brother and I were ushered into the living room.

I was four years old. One of the policemen picked me up and put me on his knee and started to question me, a four-year old child. I was terrified. No one else said anything. Then Georgina swept into the room. She was wearing a silk designer handmade dressing gown. It is here on the stand now. Can you imagine this dressing gown during the communist era of doldrums and poverty!

She pointed to the man holding me and said in a voice expecting no opposition “put that child down, I will be with you shortly.” The police man’s mouth fell open and he released me. Total silence reigned in the room until she reappeared some time later to be taken for questioning. Mother’s other motto was, “Never show fear in confronting your enemy as even a dog can smell fear and it will bite.” So true. Georgina only stayed in Hungary’s worst prison known as “the house terror” for ten days. After she was released, would you believe, the authorities sent her a bill for her stay and the pleasure of her company.

So I hope this small insight into Georgina’s life and some of her achievements will inspire you to buy the book read it and use it to overcome the challenges in your life. Thank you all again for have me here. I hope you will enjoy the book.