The Ocskay noble family belongs to the old Hungarian aristocracy. Its roots trace back to the village of Očkov in present-day western Slovakia, from where it spread over the centuries to other parts of the Kingdom of Hungary. In the past, its members held prominent positions both in the military and in public life. Today, descendants of the family live in Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania.
One of the most remarkable members of this noble lineage is Hungarian officer László Ocskay, who saved approximately two thousand Jews in Budapest during the Second World War. I spoke about his life and story with historian Szabolcs Szita, the only expert in Hungary to have conducted in-depth research on Ocskay and the author of several studies on his life. Thanks to his work, Ocskay is now commemorated by a plaque and a memorial in Budapest.
What do we know about László’s early life?
We know that he studied at a military academy and became a cavalry officer – a hussar. During the First World War, he suffered a serious injury. In 1915, his horse was shot and fell on him, damaging his leg. He limped for the rest of his life.
What rank did he hold?
Unfortunately, this has not been fully established. I even searched military archives in Vienna, where many officers’ records have been preserved, but his personal file could not be found. It is assumed that he may have been a captain or a major in the reserves.
What did he do between the wars?
In the 1930s, he joined an American oil company. Oil was already a strategic resource at the time - powering machines, aircraft, and transport. It was not easy to secure a position in such a company, as the Americans had very strict requirements. Ocskay steadily advanced and had to continually prove his expertise. He eventually became head of the sales department. He was a highly capable man. Company records show that in the 1940s, his salary was comparable to that of a minister of defense.
Ocskay László
Why did he become involved in the war only in 1944, and how did he take part in rescuing Jews?
He was a reserve officer, which meant he was not required to serve unless he volunteered. His position in the American oil company was considered more important. Moreover, as a cavalryman, his specialization was no longer essential by 1945 - the war required tanks rather than horse-mounted units. The situation changed dramatically after the German occupation of Hungary on March 19, 1944. With the rise of the fascist Arrow Cross regime, Jews were brutally persecuted. At that point, Ocskay’s Jewish friends asked him for help. They urged him to take command of a company as an officer. Together, they devised a clever plan and established a labor unit that officially collected and repaired clothing for the army. In reality, it was a cover that enabled them to hide persecuted people.
Where were these people hiding?
Ocskay used several locations to shelter Jews. One of the main sites was the building of a former Jewish school on Abonyi Street in Budapest. In the workshops, women pretended to repair military uniforms. Everyone carried documents stamped by the unit, proving they were working for the army. Around 900 people – men, women, and children – were hidden in the building. They slept on the floor and tried not to go outside, as executions were taking place in the streets. There were also so-called protected houses under the patronage of foreign embassies. People working and living in the workshops felt relatively safe, but after some time, Arrow Cross members also began appearing outside embassies and would simply shoot anyone who ventured out.
How did he manage to protect the building?
When the Arrow Cross attempted to attack the school several times, Ocskay used his contacts among German officers. He summoned them and explained that the site was a facility working for the army. German soldiers then drove the attackers away.
How did they secure food for so many people?
Ocskay used his position in the oil company. He commanded such authority that he had meat and vegetables transported by truck from estates, ensuring supplies for those in hiding - despite widespread hunger elsewhere. I asked one of his associates how this was possible. He told me it all worked thanks to corruption.
Righteous Among the Nations certificate.
How many people did he save?
We must be cautious with numbers. Historians try to avoid exaggeration. What is certain is that there were multiple hiding places and hundreds of people. A realistic estimate is around two thousand lives saved.
What happened to him after the war?
After 1945, his situation became complicated. The new regime distrusted individuals with connections to Western companies. Since he had worked for an American firm, he became suspicious. In 1947, he emigrated to the United States, where he struggled. He was employed by the same oil company he had worked for in Hungary, but only as a security guard. The company he had once served at a high level never truly acknowledged his contribution.
Did he maintain contact with those he had saved?
Some of them sought him out after the war, and they met, for example, on Margaret Island in Budapest. Over time, however, these contacts faded. For his actions, László Ocskay was awarded the title Righteous Among the Nations, granted by the Israeli organization Yad Vashem to non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from persecution and death. Even if he had saved just one life, it would have been a heroic act. But he saved around two thousand – and his name deserves to be remembered.
Grave at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Kingston, New York.
CV BOX
Szabolcs Szita (born May 31, 1945) is an emeritus professor and Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
His scholarly work covers a wide range of topics, particularly issues of national development, persecution, and rescue during the Second World War. He focuses primarily on key moments in the history of Hungarian Jews, Germans, and Roma in the 19th and 20th centuries.
He has received five Hungarian and Austrian state honors and four awards. Since 1980, he has been a member of the International Mauthausen Committee and the Scientific Advisory Board in Vienna.
In his honor, the organization Keren Kayemeth (Jewish National Fund) planted 70 trees in the Jerusalem Forest in 2015.
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