Andrew Laszlo ‘70 Shares the Story of His Father’s Journey from the Holocaust to Hollywood

Photo Courtesy of IMDb

By ERIN HAN and SOPHIE ZHU

      In an emotionally charged assembly on May 14, Andrew Laszlo ’70 spoke about his book, Footnote to History: From Hungary to America, the Memoir of a Holocaust Survivor. Laszlo’s presentation recounted his father’s harrowing journey from a Hungarian concentration camp to becoming a celebrated cinematographer in Hollywood. Throughout his presentation, Laszlo shared primary-source photographs of his father in his youth, his extraordinary journey of survival, and his eventual immigration. Laszlo also incorporated audio clips featuring narrated sections of his book, allowing his father’s story to be told in the first person in those moments.

      Andrew Laszlo’s talk was both poignant and educational, prompting reflection and discussion throughout the school community. “It isn’t every day that Holocaust survivors, or their family members, are inclined to share their story publicly,” said Annika Finelli. “And so his willingness to go in such great depth about his past was really inspiring.”

      “I think a lot of people know what the Holocaust is — at least, I would hope so — but from my experience, not many people have taken the time to listen to or read stories from survivors. But just like any historical event, the first-hand accounts and retelling of the past truly educate society and prevent history from repeating itself. I think it is very important to have speakers like Mr. Laszlo share these accounts because otherwise, many people won’t be exposed to these narratives,” Finelli continued.      

      Prep Adelle Pitts shared a similar sentiment about the relevancy of his story. “I think Mr. Laszlo’s father’s story is a story that we needed to hear, and there are lots of stories like his from that horrific time. We must not forget these stories from the past, and we must strive to be kind to those around us and hold each other accountable for our actions so that history doesn’t repeat itself.”

      Moving forward, it could be considered in what ways personal accounts could be integrated into the classroom. “What particularly stood out to me were the images of massacre, which painted an even more cruel picture of the tragedy. I thought the assembly was very effective in teaching the gruesome and disturbing nature of all of the camps, such as when he talking about the ghoulish and skeleton-like shell Mr. Laszlo’s uncle became, painting a picture much more vividly stark than just learning about the event in a history class,” said prep Angelina Wang.

      Pitts stated in agreement, “I think hearing a personal or secondary account makes the listener feel more invested in the story, I guess, and there’s that kind of personal level that they can relate to. For example, instead of reading statistics and numbers of people affected by the Holocaust in a history textbook, people might think, ‘What if he was my father? My grandfather?’ That causes more of an impact.”

      Senior Cee McClave, a co-head of the Exeter Jewish Community (EJC) on campus, echoed this sentiment. “As we left assembly, my friend commented to me that this reminded them of how little school has actually taught them about the holocaust, both pre-Exeter and here,” they recalled. “I second that, since almost all of my knowledge comes from books I read on my own time. As such, I think Mr. Laszlo’s presentation was a much-needed history lesson that is timely in an era when human rights crises are happening all over the world.”

      They continued, sharing that the visual and auditory nature of the presentation allowed them to reflect on their more personal connections to the Holocaust’s legacy. “[Before the assembly], it had been a while since I’d been taught much about the Holocaust or been shown such visceral pictures. It made me think of my great-grandmother, who was my age during the Holocaust, living in New York City and watching the genocide from afar. Mr. Laszlo’s father was lucky to have someone to continue telling his story. I wish I had thought to ask my great-grandmother what it was like living in the US while her fellow Jews overseas were dying.”

      Thus, Laszlo’s powerful assembly served as both a significant reminder and time of reflection on their Tuesday mornings for all Exonians. In addition, Laszlo’s presentation of his father’s story served as a shining beacon of inspiration. McClave concluded, “​​It sounds cliché, but his perseverance [was probably one of the most inspirational aspects of his father’s story for me]. There were plenty of times during Mr. Laszlo’s account where I thought to myself, ‘How has this man not died yet? How has his body not given out?’ And I’m sure plenty of his peers had trouble keeping their will to keep going, to keep living. His conviction that, despite everything, life is worth fighting for, inspires me.”