Janos and Marta Beer papers

Identifier
irn517257
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2005.299.1
Dates
1 Jan 1944 - 31 Dec 1944
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • Hungarian
  • German
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

folder

1

Creator(s)

Biographical History

János Beér was born in Budapest, Hungary, on February 27, 1923. His parents were Budapest natives as well. János Beér joined the Hungarian Army at an early age. After learning about the availability of a position with Raoul Wallenberg in the Swedish legation from his friend Tom Verés, János deserted from the army. In October 1941, János marred Maci. The two lived in a rented room during part of World War II, but János eventually moved to the Swedish embassy while working for Raoul Wallenberg. János worked most extensively with Raoul Wallenberg in November and December of 1944. Raoul Wallenberg was a very wealthy Swedish diplomat who had studied architecture in the United States. He was assigned as a first secretary of the Swedish legation in Budapest in July 1944. He made it his mission to protect Hungarian Jews from being deported to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. His work with the U.S. War Refugee Board and the World Jewish Congress protected tens of thousands of Jews. In July 1944, Wallenberg began distributing Swedish protective papers to Jews in Budapest which sheltered them from deportation. He built up an “international ghetto” consisting of hospitals, soup kitchens, and safe houses for the Jews and their families that held these passports. Building this organization was a monumental task. Wallenberg also pulled Jews out of death marches, and he and his aide, including János Beér, searched far and wide for passport holding Jews that were being led to their deaths. In February 1945, when the Soviet Army liberated Budapest, over 100,000 Jews remained in the city. This was due, for the most part, because Wallenberg and his staff’s tireless efforts. Wallenberg disappeared mysteriously in January 1945 on his way to meet Soviet officials. It is presumed that he either died or was murdered in a Soviet prison. János Beér survived the war and immigrated with his wife to the United States. He currently resides in Winchester, MA, and is Professor Emeritus of Chemical and Fuel Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum collection, gift of János and Marta Beér

Funding Note: The cataloging of this collection has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

János and Marta Beér donated the János and Marta Beér papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2005.

Scope and Content

The János and Marta Beér papers consist of five photographs by Tom Veres; three lists of Jews in different localities (prison camps) who fall under the protection of the Swedish Legation in Hungary; a letter signed by Raoul Wallenberg to free Dr. Georg Ballint (a Swedish citizen); a document issued by the Royal Swedish Embassy in Budapest stating that János Beér is a permanent employee of the Humanitarian Department; an identification card for János Beér issued by the Office for Jewish Issues; and a work identification card signed by Raoul Wallenberg.

System of Arrangement

The János and Marta Beér papers are arranged in a single series.

People

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.