Some Family History from WW II
Since I’m performing in TAKING SIDES, the play that is based on true events in the year 1946, I have been doing a lot of research about Germany, women growing up under the Nazi Regime, and I even tried to find some connection with me, my family and my past.
Well I found out earlier this year that I had a great-great aunt, who was a very famous Opera Singer, and a stage and film actress in Hungary. She lived from 1879 to 1955. Her name was Sari Fedak.
With some digging on some hungarian online groups and history websites, I found out that Sari was imprisoned after 1945 for one year. She was over 66 years old.
It turns out that she worked from 1919 on propagating the war and she ended up working for the Donausender Radio for the German Fascists.
Some searches later I also found out that at the age of 57 she adopted a jewish girl, who would have otherwise been deported to the camps.
This was not known until this girl, named Erzsebet Paksi Laszlone ( Elizabeth Paksi) went to see an exhibit about hungarian Divas in 2004 (68 years old at this time) and the exhibit inspired her to do some research in a local library.
Elizabeth found out by accident, that her father, Sandor Winter, was a jewish film maker, who married in 1935 a christian woman.
When Elizabeth was born, the family had to hide her and they took her to Sari to save her from the camp. Elizabeth’s mom never told her who her father was and Elizabeth never met her jewish dad. She only knew her mother and she was raised Catholic by Sari for 6 years and after that she was taken to a catholic convent.
I find this incredibly fascinating. What people did, what their motivation was, who they were, etc. How would I have reacted at that time? What side would I have chosen? Would I have died early or would I have survived? How do we choose between right and wrong, and how do we choose between survival or death?
I hope you will come out and see this show. I know it will inspire you in many ways.
