Wednesday, January 3, 2018

So close, yet unknown to each other they survived






It was back in January 2004 when Eva STEUER Halas called me from across the Atlantic Ocean (5737.7 miles away). She told me that it had been about 50 years since she was in touch with her first cousins, brother and sister, Georg & Kato Steuer, who also were survivors. She didn’t think any of her relatives were still living since her only known relative she knew of that wasn’t in Europe at the time of the Holocaust was the famous trial attorney, Max D Steuer. She happened to see another Steuer attorney speaking on tv and called him to ask if they might be related. He quickly gave her my name and phone number since he knew I was the family historian and genealogist.

Rabbi Abraham Steuer
In researching more on Rabbi Abraham Steuer’s brother Salamon and his descendants, I found that Pal (Paul) Bard was a survivor and lived in Montreal, Canada. His mother was Adel/Adela STEUER Bard, the daughter of Salamon STEUER and Rezi Szipszner. Paul submitted Pages of Testimony not only for his mother and brother, but for his mother’s brothers: Dezso Sebestyén (born Steuer), Nandor and Alexander.

Paul Bard

I also have been in touch with the granddaughter of Ilona (Hana) STEUER Levi, daughter of Salamon STEUER and Rezi Szipszner. She did know Paul Bard, but unfortunately doesn’t know much about her Steuer family. She and Paul lived so close to Eva, but they never were able to connect. I know Eva would have loved to have known more of her family survived. Only if I had found out, even some of this information, before she died so I could have shared it with her.