Elza Brandeisz is a deeply religious Hungarian woman. She is a member of The Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hungary. On November 12, 1995, the Holocaust organization Yad Vashem in Jerusalem recognized Ms. Brandeisz, as Righteous Among the Nations, a person who risked her life to hide Jews during World War II.
Among others, she hid George Soros.
Elza Brandeisz was a dancer and later a teacher in a private dance school in Budapest owned by Mrs. Béla Lajtai, a Jewish woman. During the aryanization of the Jewish businesses the dance school was re-registered under Brandeisz’s name so that the business would not be confiscated as Jewish property. Both Lajtai and Brandeisz continued to teach. In 1944 the school had to be closed when Jews were forced to leave their homes and to relocate to the Ghetto or specially designated yellow-star houses.
Brandeisz helped Lajtai with food to survive and also helped another Jewish friend Judit Baló who was a student in the school. Through Baló, Brandeisz met Erzsébet (Bözsi) Soros, who happened to be little George Soros’s mother.
Mrs. Soros was lucky, she had Christian papers and was able to hide at the Brandeisz family’s house at Balatonalmádi, on Lake Balaton. 14-year-old George Soros also spent time there, the Brandeisz family was able to hide him. Soros later wrote: “Brandeisz came from a believing Christian family, and it was her religious faith that motivated her to save Jews.”
Soros stayed in touch with Brandeisz for many years, she received letters and financial support from him which she donated to the Lutheran Church.
Elza Brandeisz is 109 years old and lives in the city of Sopron, Hungary.
György Lázár