"Rezso Kasztner: The Daring Rescue of Hungarian Jews, A Survivor's Account" by Ladislaus Löb recounts the author's personal experiences during the Holocaust and his escape facilitated by Rezso Kasztner. Löb, born in Kolozsvar in 1933, describes his childhood, living in a Jewish ghetto in Kolozsvar during World War II, and later escaping with his father to Budapest, where they joined the Kastner group.
The book highlights the critical role of Rezso Kasztner, a Jewish Hungarian lawyer, and Zionist political figure, in negotiating with Adolf Eichmann for the safe passage of over 1,600 Jews out of Hungary on the Kastner Train. The journey took them from Hungary to Switzerland, providing a rare escape from the horrors of the Holocaust.
Löb's story encompasses his time at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, the two-stage journey to Switzerland, and the subsequent events after the war. The narrative touches on the controversy surrounding Kasztner's collaboration with the Nazi party, leading to his death at the hands of Jewish extremists.
The book concludes with Löb's post-war life, including his academic career at the University of Sussex, where he taught German and comparative literature. Löb reflects on how surviving such atrocities has influenced his intellectual and spiritual perspective. Overall, the narrative provides a firsthand account of survival, resilience, and the complex moral choices faced during one of history's darkest periods.
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