In Memoriam 1992-1997/Etelka “Eta” Szasz

ETELKA “ETA” SZAsz

1910—1996

Etelka “Eta” 522152 was born in 1910, and as a graceful and lithe young girl she displayed an extraordinary sensitivity. She first trained as a professional dancer and entered upon a promising stage career. In the 19305 she was the first Hungarian classical ballet dancer to be invited to tour Japan. Prior to her departure, she fell on the stage and broke both her ankles, an accident that effectively put an end to her career.

In search of new paths ofartistic expression, she turned to other performing arts. Eta created a puppet theater for children and offered performances at schools, orphanages, and other social institutions, enchanting generations of young hearts with her lively renderings of stories and fairy tales.

Capitalizing upon a natural talent for languages, Eta became fluent in German and later learned English. Having been convinced of the need for a world language, she became an ardent Esperantist. Very

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Erellm "Em " Szarz

active in the Esperanto movement, Eta participated in the organization ofa world Esperanto congress in Budapest in the midsixties and was a promulgator of Servas?”

World War II brought fear and danger to the young woman’s life. Because of her Jewish origins she could have been arrested at any time by the Nazis who had occupied the country. To save her life her husband had provided her with a new identity, the details of which she had to learn by heart so as to be prepared to answer interrogators. Her husband tested her by waking her in the middle of the night.

203 Servas, which means “we serve Peace” in Esperanto, is an organization described as “an international, non-governmental, multicultural peace association run by volunteers in over 100 countries. Founded in 1949 by Bob Luitweiler as a peace movement, Servas International is a non—profit organization working to build understanding, tolerance and world peace," through an international program ofcooperative cultural exchange.

Eta and her husband were not afraid of taking Further risks; they hid more than ten other Jews in their apartment during the last months of the war, an act punishable by death.

After World War 11 she toured the schools around the country, telling tales and giving puppet shows. She also worked at a publishing house, becoming wellknown as an editor of children’s books.

A short time after the end of the war, a good friend of Eta’s showed her a book he had found in the ruins of a Budapest house. Though the book was ragged and tom, the contents had remained legible; it was Esslemont’s Ba/azi’u'llzz’la and the New Era. Eta was much taken by the ideas expressed in it. As the nascent Bahá’í community that had existed before the war was now virtually extinct and as Bahá’í meetings were forbidden by the Communists, Eta had no opportunities to search further.

She encountered the Bahá’í Faith again in Vienna around 1965 While participating in an Esperanto conference. Later she often told members of the Hungarian community about a lady with a red hat who had sat next to her on a park bench in Vienna. Actually she had met two Bahá’í women. One was Mrs. Ludmila van Sombeekfoz‘ an American traveling teacher, and the other, Mrs. Ursula Kohler, the future wife of the Hand of the Cause Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel. Eta declared her faith, acknowledging that she had long ago accepted Bahá’u’lláh in her heart.

After her declaration she returned to Hungary, then under the strong yoke of a Communist regime. Teaching the Faith openly was out of the question; the practice of religion was then punishable by the loss of employment and other more severe

204 See “In Memoriam," 77w Ba/Iri’z’ World, vol. XVIII, PP- 689—90.

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consequences. The Communists were not sympathetic to people they felt were participating in activities inimical to the State.

After the 1973 Arab—Israeli War, Eta went on pilgrimage. As there were no diplomatic ties between Hungary and Israel, she had to travel through Vienna without divulging her destination to anyone. Her Visa had been printed on a separate sheet ofpaper so that she could discard it on her way back to Hungary. Unfortunately the Israeli border guard was not attentive and stamped her passport instead. Eta had to tear out the page, and as a result ofthis her passport was withdrawn, and she was not permitted to travel abroad for many years.

Eta labored valiantly, yet cautiously, teaching the Faith to her close relatives and acquaintances and also helping traveling teachers Who visited Budapest. She was the only active resident Hungarian Bahá’í under the atheist regime. Her apartment at 42 Martirok utja (today Margit korut) became a rallying point for traveling teachers and, later, for pioneers.

Restrictions with Western countries eased after 1980, and many more friends came to Hungary. An essential stop on their itinerary was a Visit to Eta Szasz. They openly invited people to her apartment. Eventually she was called to report to the secret police and was interrogated about her “clandestine activities.”

Eta’s steadfastness was rewarded in 1990 when she witnessed the rebirth of the Budapest Local Spiritual Assembly. She became a member of that body, the only living link to the dark Communist night of the Hungarian Bahá’í community, much respected for her love and deep understanding of the Hungarian mind.

Though suffering more and more from poor health, she continued to take an active interest in the concerns of the Budapest community and was happy to converse in

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any of four languages with the friends who came to Visit her.

She passed away peacefully on August 24, 1996, her mind firmly set on Him Whom she had faithfully served through so many difficult years. The friends were given one last chance to pay tribute to this seemingly fragile, yet inwardly strong, great lady when they gathered for her funeral. It was the first Bahá’í funeral conducted in Hungary, and it was the first occasion on which the Prayer for the Dead was chanted in Hungarian.