Holocaust Project Katzenlson High-School ISRAEL

VERONICA SANTO

mail: shiraz0123@gmail.com  reutberkovitz@gmail.com  relationet2014@gmail.com

First Name: Veronica

Last Name: Falik

Previous Last Name: Santo

Father Name: Emil Santo (7.2.1892)

Mother Name: Alis kraous Santo (1905)

Brother Name: Yitzhak Santo Amittay (1926)

Date Of Birth:

City Of Birth: Novi sad

Country Of Birth: Yugoslavia

NOVI-SAD

Between the two world wars, the Jews communal life in Novi-Sad life was intensive and diversified. There was a Jewish school, a modern community center and Jewish newspapers were published. There were also Zionist activities in the city

Until the Holocaust, in 1941, there were 4,000 Jews in Novi Sad, out of a total population of 80,000. The extermination of the Jews of Novi Sad began under the Hungarian occupation and later by German troops- by individual arrests, torture, and murders.

As a result of a small rebellion near Novi Sad on Jan. 21–23, 1942, a total curfew began in the city called "Razzia". During the "Razzia", Jewish homes were searched, they were murdered and their property was taken.

On January 23, more than 1,400 people were marched to the Danube and lined up in four rows. Throughout the day, women men and children were shot in the back. Among the victims were also some 400–500 Serbs and about 900 Jews.

The "Razzia" was stopped on the evening of January 23, and several hundred survivors, were released. During the year, all male Jews between the ages of 18 and 45 were also sent into "labor battalions" and were held there under difficult conditions. The last part of the Jews extermination, began in March 1944 with the German occupation. The Germans gathered the Jews in the city, and transported about 1,600 of them to Auschwitz in April 1944 and their own property was taken.

About 1,000 Jews from the city survived the Holocaust; 700 of them left for Israel and about 200 remained in Novi-Sad (most of them survivors of POW camps). Subsequently, the community grew to around 630 Jews.

After the war, the Jewish community started to restore its facilities, the synagogue and the community offices. Jewish public buildings were returned to the community and the cemetery was also renovated.

In addition, the pre-Holocaust choir was reconstituted and an art club was set up.

:Veronica's story

Veronica was born in 1930, in the town Novissad, Yugoslavia to Emil Santo and Alis Kraous Santo. Her father was born in Novissad on 7.2.1892 and worked as a construction engineer. Her mother was  born in Romania in 1905. She moved to Novissad and married Emil.  Alis worked as a housewife

In 1926, their first child Yitzhak was born- Yitzhak Amittay, and after 4 years, in 1930, Veronica was born.

Her father's family also lived in Novissad.

Veronica grew in a traditional family (Neolog Fraction). She learned in a Jewish primary school, until 1941 when she was 11 years.

The war hit Novissad in 1940. As a result, "Numerus Clausus" rules were introduced. Numerus Clausus is one of many methods used to limit the number of Jewish students who could study in educational institutions. 

When Veronica had to start her first year in middle school, she felt personally the changes.

In April 1941, the Germans occupied Novissad and it was annexed to Hungary. Since then, the rules against Jews in Hungary prevailed in Novissad as well.

In the beginning of 1942, the Nazis decided to destroy the Jewish community in Novissad and around it. They made a 'Razzia'- 3 days of curfew. 

During the 'Razzia', the Nazis collected Jews– kids and adults, from the villages surrounding. They took around 1000 Jews, entire families to the Danube River, shot them and threw them into the frozen river.

Later on, the Nazis collected hundreds of Jews of all ages, to a big auditorium for several hours without water and food. They didn’t know about the murder in the Danube River. They had no idea what was going to happen with them.

Eventually, the Nazis got a contrary command from the capital, to stop the murder immediately.

After the 'Razzia', the war was felt even stronger.  The Jews were prohibited to have radios. They knew about the situation out of Novissad from rumors. In addition, the atmosphere of the war was felt around the community- air raids, recruitment of residents (Jewish and Hungarian men) to forced labor. 

In this period, Veronica studied in high school. Some of the teachers were nuns. She was studying there until 1944, when she was 14.

In 1944, the extremists Nazis, took over the government, imposed curfew and started to transport Jews to camps. Veronica, as a young child, didn’t understand what was happening around her. Her brother and father, hid in her father's worker house for a few days. However, at the last moment, the worker was afraid and refused to hide them. As a result, after a few days, Veronica's family- her father, brother, mother, grandmother, aunt and her cousin were sent to a Ghetto outside of Novissad. Since then, Veronica hadn’t seen her parents.

 Mangala assorted the Jews into 2 categories:  immediate extermination and work camps. Her father, Emil, was sent to extermination and her mother, Alis, and brother, Yitzhak, were sent to work camps. However, Veronica wasn’t sent to the ghetto.
Veronica had a Christian friend in Novissad. Veronica's mother, Alis bought Identity Documents, from veronica's friend. Alis sent her daughter to her cousin who lived in Budapest using fake documents. In September 1944, when the Nazis took Budapest's Jews to camps, Veronica used her fake documents. Veronica wasn’t sent to camps. She was in Budapest with her mother's friend who knew about the fake documents. She arranged for her to sleep in a house with 2 sisters. They didn’t know that she was a Jew. Veronica and her mother's friend had a cover story about Veronica's escape from Novissad. Veronica paid to the sisters with gold she got from her mother in Novissad. She lived there for 4 months under a Christian Identity.
 The relations between the sisters and Veronica were reasonable. In the morning, the sisters walked to work and back in the evening and Veronica stayed alone at home for the whole day, therefore, they didn’t spend a lot of time together 

Veronica did nothing except knit and unravel. She didn’t get out the house; she had to keep a "low profile".

In the middle of January 1945, when the Russian soldiers came to the city, they put the city under siege for 6 weeks. There was a shortage of food, and people ate horses that had died from the shelling. In this period of time (4-5 months), Veronica lived in a building's cellar which was a wine cellar with all the other 
families of the building. They couldn't go out due to the war that was outside.

After the Russians occupied Budapest, they were allowed to go out of the cellar. Veronica and her mother's friend started their way back to Novissad on foot, trains and Carriages. Veronica wished that her family came back safely from the
work camps. Novissad was returned to Yugoslavian government again.

When she came home, there was nothing. Therefore, she went to a house of an older couple (the man was a Jew) and stayed there temporarily. Veronica started to acclimatize and recover. She asked people about her family's destiny. During the war, Veronica thought that her family was in a labor camp. But in Novissad, she found out about the destiny of the Jews in camps.
After a few weeks, Veronica's grandmother came from Romania. She tried to contact Veronica in Budapest and when she didn’t find her, she came to Novissad. She took care of her and became her guardian. They went together to Romania.
After a few weeks, they heard about Veronica's brother who came back from the camps (Auchwitz-Dacao-Warrsaw) and her grandmother went to bring him to 
Romania too.

They lived there until 1950. Veronica studied in high school and completed her 

high school diploma and her brother studied in the technion.

  

The Immigration to Israel:

In 1950, Veronica and her brother immigrated to Israel in "Transilvania" ship. They immigrated into Israel as Yugoslavs.

By the time they went to Israel, her grandfather died in Romania, therefore, their grandmother, immigrated to Israel as well.

Veronica studied in 'Ulpan' (a school to learn Hebrew) and worked as a housekeeper. Her brother worked as a building technician. After she had finished her studies in the 'Ulpan', she went to learn social work. The studies were divided to theoretical and practical studies. When she finished her studies and got certification to work as a social worker, she joined the IDF. After she was released from the army, she started looking for a job. 

In the beginning, she worked in "Malben" and helped refugees from the United States.

Veronica married Mordechai Levin in 1961, and in 1963 her first son Ohad was born.  Then, Eldad was born and Veronica stopped working, until they went to kindergarten. She resumed her  part time work in 1968. In 1973, when her children were old enough, she resumed working full time. When Veronica was 65 years old, she retired.

Today, Veronica is 84 years old and married to Mordechai.

They have two children: Ohad and Eldad,  and 6 grandchildren. Veronica is a pensioner. Her husband worked as a medical photographer in Meir Hospital until he was 66 years old.

Veronica was a social worker in the Ministry of Health until she was 65 years old. Since she retired, she has volunteered in National Insurance in Counseling for the Elderly.

She spends her free time in gymnastics, swimming, walking with friends and being a house wife.

Mordechai (her husband):

Mordechai was born in 1921 in Austria. Mordechai was in "Hashomer Hatzair". In 1939, their club was closed by the Nazis. Mordechai and his friends decided that they had to save the flag of the club. They stole the flag, and the police arrested them. After 3 weeks, he was released. "Hashomer Hatzair" got approval for him to immigrate to Israel.

His parents were killed in Auschwitz and his sister and brother were saved and immigrated to Israel.