A memorial plaque in honor of Sándor Schwarz, a former footballer and Holocaust survivor, was placed in the press room of the Nagyerdei Stadium, the Debrecen municipality said.
The Life Course Foundation, the Jewish Community of Debrecen and the local government of the City of Debrecen jointly commemorated Sándor Schwarz, who had gone through an unparalleled life path. A marble plaque made in 2015 in honor of the “Auschwitz man” who died at the age of 96 in 2007 was finally placed on June 20, 2021. Gábor Gordon, President of the March of Life Foundation, emphasized that Sándor Schwarz survived five concentration camps due to his resilience and human tenure.
At the ceremony, Deputy Mayor István Puskás drew attention to the fact that the old Nagyerdei Stadium – the site of which was replaced by the memorial plaque of Sándor Schwarz – was designed by István Sajó, who also survived the horrors of the concentration camp.
“We remember in this place two important citizens of the Jews of Debrecen who, despite the bad memories they experienced here, returned and remained important members of the city’s community.”
Said the deputy mayor.
Zsolt Heller, representing the Jewish Community of Debrecen, announced that on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the former Jewish Grammar School in Debrecen, a volume of poems by Sándor Schwarz would be published in the autumn of this year.
“Sándor Schwarz left a manuscript for the Csokonai Theater in the’ 70s: a two-act piece about his life. I am confident that his memory will be complete if this performance takes place in the near future. ”
Said Zsolt Heller.
Chief Rabbi Péter Deutsch emphasized that through the memento set up, young people could also get to know the life of Sándor Schwarz, and through it the history of Judaism.
After the memorial plaque was unveiled, the participants placed stones on the memorial plaque of Sándor Schwarz, according to Jewish tradition.
Debrecen City Hall Press
