George Rusznak Mini Series Pt. 3: “Hope”

A few months ago, I had the honor of interviewing George Rusznak. George is many things: husband, father, businessman, and he’s also a holocaust survivor. Throughout our interview, three main themes emerged: fear, anger, and hope. In this three-part mini essay series, I plan to explore each of these through the lens of George’s story in contrast with what we as a Jewish community are facing today, continuing in part three with hope. 

Hope can be a difficult emotion to muster in any circumstance, especially less than ideal ones such as trying to build a life for yourself post-Holocaust as a Jewish man. It didn’t take long for George to realize that the life he wanted for himself required a new country entirely, so he left his home with one of his cousins to get across the Hungarian border to a refugee camp in hope of making it to America. The two hired a guide, who knew the border guards and patrols to help them get across. 

However, by that time the Soviet Army had come to Hungary to shut down the revolution. Many Soviet soldiers had come to patrol the border that had been abandoned by the Hungarian patrol. They did this by spacing tanks at certain distances apart, and then the tank crew would patrol that area. So for people like George and others trying to escape, they had to navigate through the minefield while also avoiding the Soviet patrols. George shared that the first time he tried, they were caught. The Soviet soldiers took them back to the tank, took their papers away, and told George and his cousin to go home. 

They went back home and in her usual determined fashion, George’s mother told him that he could not give up. George told his cousin they were going to try again, and a few nights later, they convinced some locals to guide them through and this time they made it. 

This story reminded me so much of my first article about George, in which I shared the story of how his mother had to keep sneaking out at night to get George medicine he desperately needed when he was very young. She was captured twice in this process and still found a way to come back with the medicine for him. I feel it’s important to note that George certainly inherited his mother’s perseverance and determination, along with her resilience.

George said, “We got into Austria. We were greeted by the Red Cross… and they hooked us up with the Jewish Agencies who were there to help us.” George and his cousin began to settle into life as refugees, hoping eventually to make their way to America. However, America was one of the highest requested locations to be sent to, so they began the long process of waiting their turn.

Despite the turbulent journey it took to get to this point, things started to look up for George when he met a beautiful young woman, who would soon become his bride. He shared that “in one of the refugee camps, there were quite a few young people… We didn't have school. We didn't have work. So we played a lot. And we interacted a lot. And love blossomed among some of us. Julie and I found each other irresistible and we became a couple and we had hoped that we would be able to go to some place together. So we became refugees and stayed in Austria for almost a year.”

It didn't take long for Julie and George to fall deeply in love, and decide they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. The two soon found out that George got permission to go to the United States, but Julie hadn’t yet. The US Embassy told them that if they were to get married, Julie could go with George to America, so that’s exactly what they did. 

However, Julie was in the refugee camp with her mom, who had her mind set on Julie marrying a rich man. George explained that Julie’s “mom was not in favor of her 17-year-old daughter marrying a penniless refugee. Her ambition was to go to Canada or the United States, but at that time Canada was the most likely. Go to Canada and marry a millionaire.”

George said that it took some convincing for her mom to get on board, but, “Julie was totally determined that I was the one.”

The two set off on their journey to America together and began their new lives in Miami, and eventually Los Angeles. Flash forward decades, and the two have had a very successful life with a beautiful family to show for it. They are still happily married, living in California.

Now, the reason I picked this story in particular to represent hope is because I feel like it shows how love and new dreams can blossom in even the darkest of times. The story also just goes to show that you never know when you might stumble upon the love of your life, gain access to a new opportunity, or have the chance to write your own story. Despite the harshest of conditions, George never gave up and he never stopped fighting the life he knew he deserved. 

Despite the turbulent times the Jewish community is currently facing, I feel that it is crucial to keep in mind that hope can bloom under any condition if you simply have the courage to hold onto it. Stories like George’s and so many others can serve as a reminder that we must continue to look for the light even in the darkest of places.