Family Tree of Haberfeld, Klára Klári

"Klara and Laci were allowed to bring very little with them from Hungary, but over the years they gave people who visited some money for them to deposit in London so they would have some when they got there. Under the Communists, Klara had been trained to do intricate mechanical drawing and had worked in that capacity in Budapest. Since this was before our computer era, of course, this was a very useful skill. She was able to be employed very quickly". Recollections of Mariette Reed, e-mail to PA Csángó, 3 Sep 2017 Written by Mariette Schwarz Reed about her Aunt and Uncle, Klara Haberfeld (1905-1991) and Lászlo Kóvács (1899-1980): Klari was the older sister of my mother Magda Haberfeld. She left the Haberfeld household at age 20 when she married Laci. The wedding was on May 20, 1925 in Budapest, Hungary. They remained there in Budapest, where Laci worked as a banker. I never heard how long he kept that responsible position under the Nazis and Communists. At one point they moved into the Budapest home of my grandfather Miksa Haberfeld. Under the Communists, Klari was trained to do mechanical drawing and worked in that capacity. George Haberfeld, Klari's younger brother, had been sent to Egypt by my grandfather's company in a capacity where he could be safer. Those left behind survived the war, including the Communist era, but life was difficult, and especially Klari who often helped others who were in danger, had close calls. I recall stories that she told me. One of them was actually being taken to a field where Jews were being deported by train. She managed to keep moving herself further and further back in the lines until those who were left at the end of the day were allowed to go back home and told to report back the next day. I could tell stories where she tried to save others risking her own life. Klari and Laci managed to leave Hungary only after the Hungarian Revolution. They took few of their possessions since that was all that was allowed, and even some of those was stolen. However, they had managed to send out some jewelry and money ahead of time. In London, they bought an Edwardian semi-detached house with garage and lovely garden and rented out the upstairs and half of the downstairs to five young businessmen to help ends meet. They lived on The Avenue in Northwest London for the rest of their lives. Both Klari and Laci commuted far and worked hard. He worked in banking again, and Klari worked doing mechanical drawing, much in demand before our era of computing. I would visit them in London whenever I was studying in Europe. In later years, it was always a great joy to stay with Klari at least twice a year after Laci had passed away. She and my Mother and I were all very close. Klari had the fortitude of a strong human being although she had medical difficulties from diabetes. Twice she came to the US and visited my Mother and me in Princeton, New Jersey. I took them to the top of the old World Trade Center for brunch before I realized that she was scared of heights and did not like elevators or seeing helicopters at the level where we were sitting. Klari was one of the bravest, kindest, most hardworking and generous persons I have known. She and Laci never had children. \\