Oral history interview with Eva Aigner and Les Aigner, 2018

Overview of the Collection

Interviewee
Aigner, Eva Erica, 1937-
Title
Oral history interview with Eva Aigner and Les Aigner
Dates
2018
Quantity
289 megabytes, (1 online resource (2 audio files (2 hr., 31 min., 13 sec.)))  :  WAV and MPEG-4
Collection Number
SR 12268
Summary
Oral history interview with Eva Aigner and Les Aigner conducted by Jim Lommasson, Elizabeth Mehran, and Sankar Raman in 2018 for The Immigrant Story. The Aigners, Holocaust survivors from Hungary, immigrated to the United States and settled in Portland, Oregon. They discuss their experiences during the Holocaust, life in post-war Hungary, and immigrating to Portland.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Eva Aigner was born Eva Langfelder in Kosice, Czechoslovakia, in 1937. After her father's business license was revoked under anti-Semitic laws in 1939, the family moved to Budapest, Hungary. In 1943, she was forced to drop out of the first grade and her father was sent to a slave labor camp, where he was later killed. Aigner, her sister, and her mother were forced into the Jewish ghetto of Budapest. Her mother was deported to a concentration camp soon after. Aigner and her sister were taken by Nazis with many other Jews and lined up along the Danube for execution. At the last moment, their mother, who had escaped from the freight train carrying her and others to a concentration camp, arrived and bribed a guard for their release. They returned to the Budapest Ghetto, remaining there until the city's liberation by Russian troops in 1945. In 1956, Eva and Leslie Aigner were married. That same year, the couple fled Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution. They settled in Portland, Oregon, where Eva Aigner worked in cosmetology. The couple had two children. Eva Aigner has been active with the Holocaust Memorial Coalition.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Leslie Gabor Aigner was born Ladislav Gabor Aigner in Nové Zámky, Czechoslovakia, in 1929. He was also known as Lazlo Gabor Aigner. His family moved to Budapest, Hungary, in the early 1940s in hopes of escaping the spread of Nazism and the oppression of Jews. However, in 1943, his father was sent to a slave labor camp and his older sister was forced into factory labor. The next year, Nazis forced him, his mother, and his younger sister into the Jewish ghetto of Budapest, and then sent them to Auschwitz shortly after. His mother and younger sister were killed in the gas chambers. Aigner was sent to concentration camps in Germany, first to Landsberg, then to Kaufering, and finally to Dachau, where he was liberated by American troops in 1945. After a month-long recovery period, he returned to Budapest. In 1956, he and Eva Langfelder were married. That same year, the couple fled Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution. They settled in Portland, Oregon, where Aigner worked as a machinist. The couple had two children. Aigner has been active with the Holocaust Memorial Coalition.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This oral history interview with Eva Aigner and Les Aigner was conducted in two sessions in 2018. The interview was recorded for The Immigrant Story, an organization that documents and archives the stories of immigrants and refugees in the United States. The first session was conducted by Jim Lommasson and Sankar Raman. The second session was conducted by Elizabeth Mehren and Sankar Raman.

In the first session of this interview, Lommasson describes a recent exhibit he worked on called "What We Carried," and gives a copy of a related book to the Aigners. The Aigners discuss their work with the Holocaust Memorial Coalition and the Holocaust Memorial in Portland, Oregon. They also talk about the few personal possessions and photographs they still have from their lives before and during the Holocaust; Les Aigner's experience being sent to Dachau on the "death train"; and Eva Aigner's experience being rescued by her mother while awaiting execution along the Danube with her sister. Les Aigner also talks about his few months in Auschwitz, and they both discuss a trip they took to all the death camp sites, Auschwitz included. They then talk about scheduling for the next interview session and make small talk.

In the second session, the Aigners discuss their work educating the public about the Holocaust. They talk about the circumstances that led to the Holocaust, including the increasing anti-Semitism they experienced. They also talk about life in post-war Communist Hungary. Les Aigner describes his experience in Auschwitz, including the deaths of his mother and sister in the gas chambers; describes returning to Auschwitz on a recent trip; and discusses his liberation from Dachau in 1945. Eva Aigner talks about living in the Jewish ghetto in Budapest, Hungary, her mother's escape from the freight train taking her to a death camp; and the liberation of the ghetto in 1945. Eva Aigner also talks about another unnamed Holocaust survivor's story.

The Aigners describe life in post-war Communist Hungary, including food shortages during the 1956 revolution and their decision to flee. They describe escaping to Austria on Christmas Eve of 1956, immigrating to the United States, and settling in Portland, Oregon. They warn that the Holocaust could happen again, and discuss current political issues that alarm them. They talk about the jobs they worked in Portland, and Eva speaks at length about working as a cosmetologist. They close the interview by discussing the importance of sharing stories like theirs.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Oral history interview with Eva Aigner and Les Aigner, by Jim Lommasson, Elizabeth Mehren, and Sankar Raman, SR 12268, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and The Immigrant Story. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Gift of The Immigrant Story in July 2020 (Lib. Acc. RL2020-018).

Bibliography

An article about Eva Aigner and Les Aigner, "Miracles, Memories and a Message" by Elizabeth Mehren, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/holocaust/.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Antisemitism
  • Beauty operators--Oregon--Portland
  • Holocaust memorials--Oregon
  • Holocaust survivors--Oregon
  • Hungarian Americans--Oregon
  • Immigrants--Oregon
  • Jewish ghettos--Hungary
  • Jews--Oregon--Portland

Personal Names

  • Aigner, Eva Erica, 1937-
  • Aigner, Les (Leslie Gabor), 1929-

Corporate Names

  • Auschwitz (Concentration camp)
  • Dachau (Concentration camp)

Geographical Names

  • United States--Immigration and emigration

Form or Genre Terms

  • interviews

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Aigner, Les (Leslie Gabor), 1929- (interviewee)
    • Lommasson, Jim (interviewer)
    • Mehren, Elizabeth (interviewer)
    • Raman, Sankar (interviewer)