Such a Lucky BoyIn October 1945, a one-year-old boy was abandoned in a freight car at a railroad station in a small Hungarian town. The events of this book are based on the life of the author, who was that abandoned baby, and the life of the loving family who adopted him. He was Such a Lucky Boy. The child grew up during the turbulent years of post World War II Hungary. The Communist ideology changed everyone's life, especially religious Jews. Laszlo Kadar's life was complicated by the philosophy of his religious father, which was in direct opposition to the philosophy of his Communist teachers. They promised the good life and a great future without religion. Following World War II, the Soviet Union was the liberator of Hungary and forced communism on the Hungarian people, whose lives were made miserable. This is the true story of the plight and hardship of one orthodox Jewish family living in a provincial city in Hungary. |
Contents
Chapter 1the boy | 1 |
Chapter 2the woman | 11 |
Chapter3theman | 23 |
Chapter4newlife | 35 |
Chapter 5the adoption | 53 |
Chapter 6the family | 63 |
Chapter 7early days | 73 |
Chapter 8political troubles | 83 |
Chapter 10it is hard to be a Jewish boy | 121 |
Chapter 11working parents | 135 |
Chapter 12going to school | 151 |
Chapter 13another setback | 167 |
Chapter 14there is a way out | 179 |
Chapter 15Lacika is Laci now | 187 |
Chapter 16the year 1956 | 195 |
Epilogue | 205 |
Common terms and phrases
able adoption army asked Auschwitz baby became Békés Békés County Békéscsaba Béla Budapest building child Communist Comrade Kocsis concentration camps courtyard door Ede and Helen Ede’s Ernő Gerő Eszti eyes face factory father felt friends German girl guards Hajdú family happened happy hard Helen and Ede hoping Hungarian Hungary husband Imre Nagy János Jenő Jewish boy Jewish community Jews Kádár family Kati kids kind Kisvárda knew Laci Lacika László Rajk living looked Mama Mátészalka Mátyás Rákosi Mauthausen move Nagydobos Nazis never parents Party people’s Pintér police political prayer Püspökladány Rabbi Rákosi Red Army Russian Sanyi Schnitzler Shabbat shochet smile someone Soviet Union started stay stopped street sure survive synagogue talk teacher tell tion told took train tried Uncle Yayli voice walked wife women Yiddish