UPDATE: Holocaust Survivor To Speak At UConn Avery Point

MYSTIC, CT —As a boy, he and 150 orphaned children survived the Holocaust inside a building in a Budapest ghetto. His father was taken to the Mauthausen concentration camp in the spring of 1944, but survived. For the past decade, Holocaust survivor Endre "Andy" Sarkany raises awareness of the Holocaust for the young and old.

On Feb. 4, he will be at UConn Avery Point auditorium from 6 to 7 p.m. to talk about his personal experiences during World War II and living in a Budapest ghetto. He was originally scheduled to speak at the Mystic Noank Library but due to an overwhelming response the venue was changed to accommodate larger than anticipated audience. It will now be held at UConn Avery Point.

"With a new wave of antisemitism on the rise, this event delivers an inspiring message of how faith triumphs over evil, love triumphs over hate," the library and sponsors Mystic Oil Co., Inc. and the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut wrote on the Facebook event page.

This event is free and open to the public; registration is not required. Light refreshments will be provided.

According to the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center, Sarkany was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1936.

Here is his bio:

"The building he lived in was located inside the Budapest ghetto which is where he remained during the Holocaust. The building housed a nursery/kindergarten on the ground floor. The school was affiliated with the Jewish Agency of Hungary and was led by Eugene Polnay. The building also housed on the top floor a dance, acrobat and ballet studio. These facts were significant in Endre’s survival and that of at least 150 orphaned children. Endre’s father was taken to Mauthausen concentration camp in the spring of 1944, fortunately he did survive.

After WWII, Hungary became a communist nation. Although Endre graduated high school in 1955, he was not accepted to university because he was deemed an undesirable element of society. This label was given to anyone who owned a business before the communists took over the country.

Endre was fortunate to escape Hungary after the October 1956 uprising and was able to immigrate to the United States.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Tusculum College in Tennessee and his Master of Science degree in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Endre worked for both the McDonald Douglas Corporation and the IBM Corporation.

Over the past 10 years, Endre has been speaking to students about his personal experiences during the Holocaust, living under the brutality of the Soviet regime in Hungary, and finding a home in the U.S.

Mr. Sarkany is married, has a daughter and son, and five grandchildren.