When Ella Garai-Ebner was just seven years old, her beloved grandfather George (Gyuri) Garai passed away. As a Holocaust survivor, Gyuri had endured unimaginable horrors – two labor camps, two concentration camps, a death march. Yet he chose not to burden his family with those painful memories during his lifetime. “I will never know why Gyuri chose not to share his story with his family,” Ella reflects. “Perhaps he worried it was too distressing for us to hear.”
But while Gyuri may have kept silent, his final wish was clear. From his deathbed, he implored his family: “Tell the world what happened to me.” It was a weighty request, but one that Ella has taken to heart in her adult years. As the granddaughter of a survivor, she feels it is both her privilege and her duty to keep Gyuri’s story alive.
Uncovering a Hidden History
Growing up, Ella knew little of her grandfather’s wartime experiences. It wasn’t until she read his self-penned “CV” as an adult that the full scope of his suffering – and his resilience – became clear. At just 18, Gyuri was torn from his family and homeland, subjected to slave labor, starvation, disease, and the constant threat of death. Miraculously, he survived.
For Ella, this “CV” became a portal into her grandfather’s hidden past. “To me, Gyuri is the same person he was before and after I read his testimony,” she explains. “He will always be my warm, loving and lovable grandpa, with his hearty laugh and twinkling smile.” But she also came to see him in a new light – as a young man of extraordinary courage.
Pilgrimage to the Past
Over the years, Ella has embarked on moving “heritage trips” to retrace her grandparents’ footsteps. In Vienna, where her paternal grandfather fled as a toddler. In Budapest, where Gyuri and his wife Anna (Panni) rebuilt their shattered lives. At Gyuri’s childhood synagogue, at the shop once owned by his father. Each site imbued with profound meaning.
“The memories shared with me on this pilgrimage were painful ones; being separated from her parents, returning home after the war and sitting by the window waiting to see which family members would come back – and so many never did.”
– Ella Garai-Ebner on traveling with her grandmother Panni
For many descendants of survivors, these pilgrimages are a rite of passage – an attempt to fathom the unfathomable. To walk in the shadows of gas chambers and crematoria. To bear witness to humanity’s darkest deeds, and deepest capacity for hope. They are journeys of remembrance, mourning, and ultimately, fierce pride.
Speaking for Those Silenced
Since 2021, Ella has volunteered with the Holocaust education charity Generation 2 Generation, developing a moving presentation about Gyuri’s life. She shares his story at schools, workplaces, religious institutions – any audience willing to listen and learn.
“It is wonderful when I hear feedback from audiences about the power of hearing his testimony,” Ella shares. “It is a privilege to be able to share my grandfather’s story, and I also feel it is my duty, as his granddaughter, to do what he never felt able to do, but felt so strongly about being done.”
With each presentation, Gyuri’s legacy grows. His face and his name, imprinted on dozens, then hundreds of minds and hearts. A reminder of the human lives behind the staggering statistics. Of survival against impossible odds. And above all, of the vital importance of passing these stories from generation to generation, that the world should never forget.
“Gyuri’s final message was clear: tell the world, so they can learn from it. I sincerely hope you do.”
– Ella Garai-Ebner
The Urgency of Remembrance
As the Holocaust recedes further into history, and the last of the survivors leave us, preserving their testimonies takes on newfound urgency. Ella is part of a growing movement of descendants determined to carry forward their ancestors’ memories – painful as they may be. For in the end, she believes, it is only by confronting the past that we can build a better future.
“It seems so obvious to me, as the grandchild of survivors, that these stories must continue to be told,” Ella writes. “It sounds cliche to quote ‘those who forget history are doomed to repeat it’, but with every passing year, it’s clear we are continuing to forget the horrors humanity is capable of.”
Her grandfather’s dying wish has become Ella’s lifelong mission: to tell the world, so that all may remember. In today’s climate of rising antisemitism, Holocaust distortion, and fading historical memory, it is a task that has never felt more essential – or more urgent. May Gyuri’s story, and countless others like his, echo for generations to come.
