Garbovits family papers

Arnold Garbovits (b. 1895) was born in Galanata, Hungary to Josef and Hanna (née Buxbaum) Garbovits. He was married to Karolin Drach (b. circa 1890-1896), born in Győr, Hungary. Karolin had at least one sister: Rose (later Rose Spigel). Arnold and Karolin lived in Budapest, Hungary where he owned and operated a hat factory. They had two children: Erzsebet (later Erzsebet Schwarcz and Elizabeth Sandy, b. 19 May 1923) and Istvan “Pishta” Ervin (b. 1926). In March 1944 the family was sent to the Budapest ghetto. While in the ghetto, Elizabeth married Gabor Schwarcz (1915-1922). Arnold was sent to a forced-labor camp in Budapest. In November 1944 Arnold and Istvan were sent on a death march from Budapest to Austria. Istvan was killed during the march, and Arnold likely also perished around the same time. Karolin was deported to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in December 1944 where she likely perished. Elizabeth avoided arrest and deportation by hiding in several apartment buildings, likely including the Glass House protected by the Swiss government. After liberation, Elizabeth and Gabor returned to her family home in Budapest and found postcards written and thrown from a train by her mother during her deportation to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. They then went to the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp where they remained until 1949. During their time in the DP camp, Gabor worked as a chauffeur for the Joint Distribution Committee and their son Robert was born in 1947. They immigrated to the United States in July 1949 and settled in Worcester, Massachusetts. Their daughter Carol (later Carol Papkin) was born in 1953. In 1954 they changed their last name to Sandy and moved to Detroit, Michigan. They family later relocated to Florida.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Carol Papkin

Donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2019 by Carol Papkin, daughter of Elizabeth Sandy.