Page 32 of The Righteous

It was almost eleven o’clock when Carl finally arrived at the meeting. Expressing his apologies, he said, “I’m sorry that I made you wait so long. Just when I thought we had all the latest bulletins, another messenger showed up with further news.”

“This is my father, Benjamin Weissbach,” Theresa said. “I asked him to come along because you and I have spoken about him and his connections to the Budapest Jewish community. You mentioned that he would also be a valuable asset to the WRB.”

“Without question,” Carl answered. “Thank you so much for coming, Mr. Weissbach. I am honored to meet you. I know you are very busy.”

Benjamin smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Lutz,” he said.

“Very kind of you. But I came along to offer whatever assistance I can on behalf of my people. Like you, I was in a meeting most of the day at the Great Synagogue. The congregants are deeply concerned about what appears to be an invasion of German troops on our streets. To us, a military invasion makes absolutely no sense. We are not at war with Germany. As far as we know, the two countries are still allies. They fought, and still fight, side by side on the Russian Front. So we ask, what are these German troops doing here?”

“Carl,” Theresa interjected, “may I add that my father told us earlier today that the Germans are now in the bus stations, the train station, the post office, on Castle Hill, and who knows where else? As far as we know, they have been peaceful, so far. Has Germany made any demands of Hungary that you know of? Have there been arrests? What is the response of our government leaders to this incursion?”

“I am not aware of any response from the Hungarian government,” Carl said.

“Not officially. German soldiers have taken positions throughout Hungary, not just in Budapest. There have been no demands of the Hungarian government that we know about.” Carl paused.

There was a solemn look on his face. “If I were a member of the Budapest Jewish community, I would be very concerned, but it is possible that the influx of German troops may be a preventative measure. They may be here in case the meeting in Salzburg doesn’t go well. ”

“Hungary has not threatened Germany in any way, has it?” Theresa asked.

“Unfortunately, that is not entirely true,” Carl answered.

“While it’s true that there haven’t been any direct threats, Prime Minister Kállay secretly sent messages to the United States, Great Britain, and even Canada, offering to enter into a mutual peace agreement.

Such a move would replace a military ally with a secret enemy on Germany’s border.

While a similar message was initially sent weeks ago, it was recently repeated.

As far as we know, none of the recipients have agreed to form such an alliance.

While Kállay’s correspondence was supposed to be secret, Hitler found out about it and considered it a betrayal.

Previously, he considered Hungary to be a loyal ally without question.

Now, he must ask, is it colluding with the enemy? ”

“We heard that Hitler called Regent Horthy to meet with him at his palace outside of Salzburg, am I right?” asked Julia.

“Did he call him there for an explanation? Did Kállay act at Horthy’s direction?

Was Hitler seeking Horthy’s assurance of loyalty, or was it Hitler’s plan to take Horthy out of the picture altogether while his army moves into Hungary?

And if Horthy is guilty of telling Kállay to send the peace feelers, why would he voluntarily go to Hitler? ”

“You ask pointed questions, Julia,” said Carl.

“Very perceptive. Your question, that of removing Horthy from Hungary while German troops move into the country, might be the real reason. Despite that, Horthy sent word this morning that he is coming back to Budapest tomorrow. He is leaving Hitler’s palace and returning to his office.

Apparently, he is not under arrest. Now, we ask ourselves, has Horthy made a deal with Hitler?

Will Horthy tell his army to stand down in the face of a Nazi invasion?

Will his return change anything on the ground here in Budapest?

Or is Hitler satisfied that Hungary is loyal, and will he recall his soldiers?

Your guess is as good as mine. Either way, right now Hungary is effectively under German control. ”

“If Hitler’s troops are here to stay in Hungary, will they be enforcing Germany’s laws?

Is Budapest destined to become another Amsterdam?

” Julia posed. “Another Warsaw? Another Vienna? If the German army will be enforcing Germany’s laws, then what about the Jewish people?

Will Germany be implementing its racial laws?

Will the Jews now be arrested and deported to prisons?

If that is your expectation, shouldn’t we be making preparations for evacuation?

Shouldn’t we be forming secret rescue groups like we did in Holland?

We can’t just sit back and do nothing in the face of a slaughter.

We witnessed over sixty thousand Jews captured and taken out of Holland to prison camps, we believe to be murdered.

That was almost half of the Jewish population in the Netherlands.

There are almost a million Jews in Hungary.

Can you even conceive of such a slaughter? ”

“There are over nine hundred thousand Jews here,” Benjamin said, “and that very issue is exactly what we were debating at the synagogue.”

“And what was your consensus?” Carl inquired.

“Your question assumes that a sanctuary full of Jews is capable of agreeing on a single premise, let alone a single theory. We did not reach a consensus. Some wanted to leave Hungary, and no doubt they will try. Some believed that the prominence of Jewish manufacturing, commercial enterprises, and financial markets would keep the social structure intact. Horthy would be a fool to permit such a slaughter, they say. His economy would fall apart. Why ruin the country’s economy, they say, especially in the middle of a war?

Others reason that it is foolish for Horthy and Hitler to deplete their military defenses by removing all the Jewish soldiers and workers.

Why eliminate a large portion of a military ally with the Russian army closing in from the east?

So, basically, most of us were left in a wait-and-see attitude. ”

“What is your personal opinion?” Carl asked.

“I don’t like to wait and see,” Benjamin answered, “but I don’t know what to do right now.

I hate to pull up stakes and make a run to who knows where, especially since Hitler may do nothing and leave us alone.

Still, there is no doubt that Hitler is a psychopath when it comes to the Jewish religion.

He calls Jews the enemy. Maybe he won’t make a move today, but I have no doubt that he will when it suits him.

If we wait until that time and do nothing, we’ve lost any advantage we have to prepare for an escape. ”

“What do you mean by that, Apa? What can we do to prepare ourselves?” said Theresa. “Getting our people out of Hungary is the only answer that occurs to me.”

Benjamin shrugged. “Preparation is the key, and we need to prepare, but at this point, I have no answers. How do a million people escape? Who will lead them, and where would they go?”

“It’s late,” said Carl. “Why don’t we all sleep on it and meet again tomorrow?”