Virag, Paula et al. (szerk.): Satu Mare. Studii şi comunicări. Seria istorie-etnografie-artă 28/2. (2012)

Istorie

Dancu Pál

Gálffy Kálmán - a forgotten rescuer during the Holocaust

(Abstract)

A teacher from Szatmárnémeti called Gálffy Kálmán was the commander of 110/67 hungarian jewish forced labor company, a man who was worthy of every kind of praise. The 110/67 company was established initially in Baia Mare, then moved to Cluj and later to Budapest. Soon the military authorities took the jews to Csornád. Then, following the suggestion of the commander of 110/67 company, the inmate jews gave their food to the Jewish women who were marching through the place, and who were in very bad condition. He sent the physician of the company to the women doing labor service to support them with medical help. From Csornád the company got back to Budapest, where, on Gálffy’s suggestion everybody obtained Swiss safe conducts, but meanwhile he was forced to set off those people from the company who did not have safe conducts to Hegyeshalom. However, he brought them back too on the fourth day, since the safe conducts had caught up with them. At that time the jews did loading work on the bank of the Danube as a protected company and there were informed that the unit had got an order to go back to the bound immediately. Then they escaped to the nearby group, which consisted of old labor servicemen working for the SS Sonderkommando. 30 of them were there. They lived in Hotel Royal, and while they worked, were in excellent circumstances at the Germans. However, on 28th November on the order of the Hungarian Ministry of Defence they sent the jews to Garrison Albrecht.

Kálmán Gálffy in the station-place of his company, from Benczúr Street there fed the 700 inhabitants and the hiding civil Jewish persons in a bombed apartment building, with the savings from meal portions and food stocks of labor-company operating under his command.

The study presents the bravery and the fate of this forgotten commander and the research done for his records in military archives. In order the Yad Vashem Commission for the Designation of the Righteous among Nations to consider his case, must have testimonies of living survivors or witnesses regarding the rescuers' actions. Unfortunately, the testimonies are from 1945, from persons who meanwhile died. Are relevant the testimonies 3074 and 3151 taken by DEGOB for Jewish Agency in Palestine in Budapest at 1945 from survivors, as follows 3074-Bergmann Pál, born in 1913, June 29, Budapest, Pannónia u.44, photomaker and 3151-Fischer Ferenc, born in 1912, June 10, Budapest, Váci u. 12, drugstore-keeper.

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