Béla Weichherz diaries

Béla (born Vojtech, 1892-1942) Weichherz was born in Čadca, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) and had seven siblings: Hugo, Martin, Gyula, Ninka, Josephine, Lotti and Malvine. He worked as a traveling salesman for the Philips Company and lived in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia). Béla married Esti (born Estera, 1899 -1942) and they had a daughter, Kitty (born Katharina, 1929-1942). After Kitty's birth Béla kept a diary of his daughter's life. He recorded everything that happened to her and charted her progress and development. Kitty grew up speaking four languages: German, Slovak, Hungarian and Czech and did not identify as Jewish. Béla also wrote about the political changes happening around him. Following the German occupation of the Sudetenland, anti-Jewish propaganda flourished and Kitty had to leave her public school and move to a Jewish school. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939, Béla lost his job and the family moved back to Čadca. Kitty attended a Jewish school and Béla received a working permit and started working at Rudolf Vaculik. In March 1942 the Germans began deportations from C̆adca, and Béla, Esti, and Kitty were sent to a concentration camp where they perished. They are believed to have been deported to the Sobibór concentration camp. The collection includes two diaries written by Béla Weichherz for his daughter, Kitty Weichherz, in order to record the events of Kitty's life. The diaries begin in 1929, with Kitty's birth, and continue until 1942, when the Weichherz family was deported from C̆adca, Slovakia to a concentration camp. In the diary Béla makes note of daily events and tracks Kitty's development. Kitty also writes and draws in the diary. Towards the end of the diary, Béla writes about political changes and his fears for his family. The diary also includes family photographs, a birthday card Kitty made for her father in 1941, and growth and development charts Béla made for Kitty.