Apostag, another quaint town. Since we had already checked out where it was, we got there fairly easily, Yisroel has to learn to not trust my sense of direction. But we can drive right up
next to the cemetery which is surrounded by a new looking white brick wall. The gentleman who opened the first cemetery for us in Kunszentmiklos said all the combinations are the same.
It has a little over 400 graves so a lot to go through. Many were in very poor condition. But we went through and I carefully washed off some of the stones that looked like they had potential.
We scheduled 2 days but were done in less than 2 hours. Kind of disappointing, and now to decide what to do for the rest of the day.
Yisroel’s perfectly happy to go back to the apartment and work on his blog and research. Me on the other hand, I want to see something. I don’t want to get back from 10 days in Hungary and say the only thing I did was visit graves and get lost walking around town on Shabbat!
Following my wanting to see the towns where people lived, I said ‘Lets go back to Kalosca!” It’s not too far, about a 30 minute drive, so we go, and I even convinced him to stop at the farm again, in case they had a program we could see. Of course, they only had 1 program that day, and again it had just finished, so we continued on to Kalosca.
Once there we went down the main street to the parking area where Yisroel said he would wait for me in the car.
Also note, as we were driving there Yisroel mentions that there is a second cemetery, but he doesn’t think any of his relatives are there.
Knowing how easy it is to get information from Yisroel sometimes-He apparently has been accused of talking like a ‘telegram’ ie very few words and you have to figure out what he is trying to say from there. I figured Linda is a horse person, of course she is up at 6am, so I send her an email, and get a
response within 5 minutes!
She tells me about Andras at the Club Hotel. Yisroel pointed out the hotel as we were driving down the street, so I go there. The doors are locked, so I ask at the bakery next door. The lady motions that I should ring the bell. I try the bells next to the various doors in front, still no answer. But that looks like a
restaurant.
So I try the door next to the outdoor seating area, and a lovely elderly gentleman comes out, and walks me around the back. Apparently the hotel entrance is in the back, while the restaurant/bar is from the front.
I wait while he checks people in, and I ask for Andras, is answers that yes he is Andras. I realize he speaks more English than my Hungarian, but he is still not understanding, so I put into Google Translate that my cousin was there 5 years ago, and he showed her the Jewish sites.
Well, his face lit up, “Yes” of course he remembers her!, and there was a man too? I show him my wedding band and his face lights up even more. But he still does not have any rooms for tonight. Back to Google Translate, that we don’t need a room, but are looking for the other Jewish cemetery.
He tries to show me on Google Maps, but then motions if I have a car, and that he will show us. I run back to the parking lot, Why didn’t I just wait there and tell Yisroel is come around???? We pick him up, and thankfully he is a very animated person, because he mixes up right and left. He shows us the cemetery where we had already been, then takes us to the new cemetery, which apparently is kept locked, and then to the old synagogue. I jump out to take pictures while Yisroel takes him back to his
hotel. There is a holocaust memorial next to the synagogue, but I don’t think there are any Jews in Kalosca.
Yisroel comes back, and is ready to head back to the apartment, I want to go to the cemetery, ‘But Andras said it was locked’. Maybe there is a way in. “Why would there be a connection between a Hungarian cemetery and a Jewish cemetery?” Maybe there is a break somewhere, the way there was in Slovakia. Besides, we’re here, and just to give Kavod (honor) to those buried there.
So we drive to the cemetery, looking through the entrance gates to the Hungarian cemetery. As we pass the second one, we see a gaping hole in the brick wall. Excitement rising, we find a place to park and go in.
As we get closer to the wall we see not only this gaping opening, but bricks piled, waiting to be put into place to fix the wall!
Bingo, the exact relatives he is looking for!!!!
You’ll have to read Yisroel’s blog about how the different people we found all fit together, but all in all it turned out to be an exciting day!
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