Stark family collection

Adrian Stark (1906-1996) was born on 19 May 1906 in Berettyóújfalu, Hungary to Hermann Stark and Berta Engel. He had four siblings: Ilona, Bertalan, Moritz, and Roza. His family lived in Berettyóújfalu where they owned a successful European gourmet food import/export business. Prior to the war, Adrian was married to Elsa Izrael. His sister Ilona was married to Mishka Lindenfeld, and they had two children: Akos and Judit. His brother Bertalan was married to Magda Grosz. Mortiz and Roza were both single. Anticipating getting sent to a forced-labor camp in Berettyóújfalu, Adrian had a family friend who was also a doctor to operate on his legs. He was disqualified from hard labor, and performed clerical duties for the Hungarian army. He used this position to forge documents for fellow Hungarian Jews. After the war, Adrian was introduced to Rozalia Kornitzer by his friend Claire Rosenberg, who was Rozalia’s sister-in-law. They married in 1946 and moved to Budapest. Their daughter Eva (later Eva Sidorsky) was born on 6 August 1947. Adrian worked as an administrator at a Jewish nursing home on the Buda side of the city, and Rozalia worked as a sewer and knitter for a manufacturer. In the 1950s, the couple wanted to immigrate to Israel, but were unable to secure visas to leave Hungary. Their son Akos (Arthur) was born on 25 April 1955. In 1956 the family fled communist Hungary and reached Austria with the aid of the Red Cross. Rozalia’s brother Bela, who fled Hungary in 1946 and lived in New York came to meet them in Vienna and help them immigrate to the United States, which they did on 7 January 1957. They lived in Woodbridge, New Jersey with Rozalia’s mother Miriam.

Rozalia Stark (1915-1979) was born Rozalia Koritzer on 20 March 1915 in Szerencs, Hungary to Salamon (d. 1947) and Maria (Miriam) Kornitzer. She had two sisters and six brothers. Her family was Orthodox. Salamon was an industrialist and owned a distillery and vineyards producing the Tokaji grape. Several of Salamon’s sons took over the business and he entered politics. Salamon was involved in political and religious matters, and served as a member of the chamber of commerce and chairman of the board of a bank. Rozalia’s older brother Bela was a journalist, and fled Szerencs to Budapest to avoid deportation. His family survived in hiding in a Carmelite convent. After the war, Bela and his family fled communist Hungary in 1946 and was able to immigrate to the United States. Prior to the war, Rozalia was engaged to Gyula Blum, who was originally from Zsurk, Hungary. Gyula was conscripted as a forced-laborer during the war and was killed. After the war, Rozalia’s sister in law Claire Rosenberg introduced her to fellow survivor Adrian Stark. They married in 1946 and moved to Budapest. Their daughter Eva (later Eva Sidorsky) was born on 6 August 1947. Adrian worked as an administrator at a Jewish nursing home on the Buda side of the city, and Rozalia worked as a sewer and knitter for a manufacturer. In the 1950s, the couple wanted to immigrate to Israel, but were unable to secure visas to leave Hungary. Their son Akos (Arthur) was born on 25 April 1955. In 1956 the family fled communist Hungary and reached Austria with the aid of the Red Cross. Rozalia’s brother Bela came to meet them in Vienna and help them immigrate to the United States, which they did on 7 January 1957. They lived in Woodbridge, New Jersey with Rozalia’s mother Miriam, who immigrated from Israel to be with her daughter.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Eva Stark Sidorsky

Donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2021 by Eva Stark Sidorsky, daughter of Rozalia and Adrian Stark