Károly Szabó

In the Hungarian Boy Scouts in 1929 he (13 years old) became friends with Pál Szalai. This friendship continued in the critical months of 1944–1945 while Pál Szalai, high-ranking member of the police force, supported Raoul Wallenberg.

Swedish Legation Budapest 1944 - Badge Karoly Szabo

Károly Szabó "Certitficate of Honour"

Between 1944 and 1945 Károly Szabó was one of the typewriter mechanics of the Swedish Embassy. Dr. Otto Fleischmann, a Doctor of Medicine and psychologist, employee of the Swedish Embassy, motivated Károly Szabó to play an active role in the rescue actions of Raoul Wallenberg. Pál Szalai supported his friend with important personal documents, signed by the German command in the Battle of Budapest. Karoly Szabó's intuitive purchase decision for a leather coat was another key factor. Black leather trench coat, was a means of inspiring fear and respect, and the subsequent Hollywood image of the black-clad, trench-coated Gestapo officer has entered popular culture. In Budapest's Jewish community he was known as "the mysterious man in the leather coat".[3]

Károly Szabó attracted exceptional attention on December 24, 1944 as Hungarian Arrow Cross Party members occupied the Embassy building on Gyopár street. He rescued 36 kidnapped employees[4] from the Budapest ghetto. This action attracted Raoul Wallenberg's interest. He agreed to meet Szabó's influential friend, Pál Szalai, a high-ranking member of the police force. The meeting took place in the night of December 26. This meeting was preparation to save the Budapest ghetto in January 1945. Pál Szalai was honored as Righteous among the Nations 04.7.2009.[5][6][7]

The last meeting between Wallenberg and Szalai, together with Dr. Ottó Fleischmann and Károly Szabó, was on the evening of January 12, 1945 at the Gyopár street Swedish Embassy at Wallenberg's "last supper" invitation.[8] The next day — on January 13 — Wallenberg contacted the Russians to secure food and supplies for the people under his protection. He was detained by the Soviet forces on January 17, 1945.

Prevented crime in January 1945

Document in the National Archives of Hungary 1945. Thank from Lajos Stöckler, President of the Jewish Community of Budapest for rescuing 154 persons and his family (8 persons).

During World War II Lars Ernster and Jacob Steiner lived in the office of the Swedish Embassy in Budapest, Üllői Street 2-4. In the night of January 8, 1945 all inhabitants were dragged away to near the Danube banks by an Arrow Cross party execution brigade. At midnight, 20 policemen with drawn bayonets broke into the Arrow Cross (Nyilas) house and rescued everyone.[9] Ernster and Steiner were among the rescued. Ernster fled to Sweden, where later he was member of the Board of Nobel Foundation (1977–88), and Steiner fled to Israel, where he is now a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Information from Jacob Steiner after he has read this page: on December 25, 1944, Steiner's father was shot dead by Arrow Cross militiamen, falling into the Danube as a result. His father had been an officer in World War I and spent 4 years as a prisoner of war in Russia.[10]

Dr. Erwin K. Korányi a psychiatrist in Ottawa, wrote about the night of January 8, 1945 in his "Chronicle of a Life" "in our group, I saw Lajos Stoeckler" and "The police holding their guns at the Arrow Cross cutthroats. One of the high-ranking police officers was Paul Szálai, with whom Raoul Wallenberg used to deal. Another police officer in his leather coat was Károly Szabo."[11]

• 1916 Born on November 17, 1916 in Budapest.
• 1932–1940 Works for the Remington US typewriter company in Budapest
• 1940–1945 Works for Brunsviga German calculators company in Budapest (Gelpke, Nádor tér) and mechanic for bureau equipment on the Swedish Embassy Budapest 1944–1945
• 1945–1949 owner of the "Universal" bureau equipment company with Plachy and Wagner representatives for Brunsviga (German), Precisa (Swiss), Odhner (Swedish) calculating machines in Hungary.[16]
• 1950 His business was "nationalized" (expropriated without compensation)
• 1953 Arrested and secret show trial preparations
• 1955–1964 Independent technician for office equipment
• 1963-1964 In the summer of 1963 and 1964 he visited at invitation the rescued Klaber and Löw in Basel and Jakobovics in London.
• 1964 Death by stroke October 28, 1964 in Budapest.

On August 4, 2010, the birthday of Raoul Wallenberg the International Mensch Foundation, the Carl Lutz Foundation, the Budapest Holocaust Memorial Institute and the 1944-2004 Foundation issued a Karoly Szabo memorial certificate.

After introduction by Prof. Dr. Szabolcs Szita speech Aliza Bin-Noun Israel Ambassador, Dr. John Hóvári Ambassador Deputy Secretary of State, Prof. Dr. Schweitzer Joseph retired National Rabbi.[17]

• Shoes on the Danube Promenade
• Battle of Budapest
• Budapest ghetto
• Raoul Wallenberg
• Pál Szalai
• Lars Ernster
• Jacob Steiner
• Collection from Karoly Szabo newspaper headlines Hungarian Revolution of 1956

• Dreams and Tears: Chronicle of a Life, Erwin K. Koranyi, General Store Publishing House, 2006, ISBN 978-1-897113-47-9 (pages 89 – 90)
• A Man for All Connections, The Wallenberg-Szalai connection, Andrew Handler, Praeger/Greenwood, 30 January 1996; ISBN 978-0-275-95214-3 Handler focuses on explaining the Hungarian political context which made rescue possible.... Less well known is the fact that Wallenberg's mission was supported by various representatives of the Hungarian state apparatus
• József Szekeres: Saving the Ghettos of Budapest in January 1945, Pál Szalai "the Hungarian Schindler" ISBN 978-963-7323-14-0, Budapest 1997, Publisher: Budapest Archives
• The mystery man with the leather coat. Faklya - Budapest, December 29, 1946 - February 9, 1947, interviews with Károly Szabó (Hungarian)

• Rescue Story on the Danube Bank in Yad Vashem Database of Righteous "On the evening of January 8, 1945 .... led to the banks of the Danube to be shot into the river" "Shortly after liberation, on 26 February 1945, Stöckler wrote a letter thanking Károly Szabó for rushing with Szalai Pal to save the group that was condemned to death."
• Wallenberg 1953
• Budapest Times
• Szabó Károly 8/4/2010 in Magyar Televízió (or Hungarian Television) is a Hungarian national public service television company. Videó
• Homepage Raoul Wallenberg Asso.fr
• Documents to January 8. 1945. (English)
• Forgács Gábor, The history of the Üllői út 2-4, Wallenberg office hired by the Swedish Embassy
• Wallenberg: More Twists to the Tale, Mária Ember, They Wanted to Blame Us
• Interview with István Domonkos, son of Miksa Domonkos who died after the show trial preparations (Hungarian)
• Wallenberg Seminar in Budapest, March 1-2nd 2007 "We have to emphasize the deeds of Károly Szabó, Pál Szalai, Dr István Parádi, who were risking their life everyday" Gábor Forgács. The exhibition was opened by Dr. Gábor Demszky, Mayor of Budapest with a message of the President of the Republic of Hungary László Sólyom.