The Holocaust Memorial Center,
the Ministry of Defence,
the National Association of Forced Laborers and
the National Association of Persecuted by Nazism cordially invite you
to the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the “Don breakthrough”,
taking place on Sunday, January 13, 2013, at 5 p.m.,
in the Holocaust Memorial Center, Budapest, Páva Street 39.
On January 13, 1943, Soviet forces, overwhelming in numbers and equipment, began the Voronezh-Kharkov Strategic Offensive Operation on the Bryansk, Voronezh, and Southwestern Fronts simultaneously. The Soviet Red Army rapidly destroyed the Hungarian Second Army near Svoboda on the Don River. During its twelve months of activity on the Russian front, the Second Hungarian Army’s losses were enormous. Of an initial force of about 200,000 Hungarian soldiers and 50,000, mostly Jewish, forced-laborers, until the spring of 1943, about 60 – 70,000 were dead, 35,000 wounded, and 60,000 taken prisoners of war. The losses among the forced laborers are estimated to 20-30,000.
Evoking the events of the tragedy, Mr. Csaba Hende, Minister of Defense will unveil a memorial plaque in honor of the Jewish forced laborers, dragged to the frontline or military operations area, and fallen victims to the tragic events. A virtual exhibition on the history of the forced labor service during WWII, titled “Army with Shovels” will be also opened at the occasion.
Program:
17:00 Joint prayers and commemoration in the Synagogue
Péter Joel Totha and Slomó Köves, Senior Field Rabbis
17:10 Opening of the “Army with Shovels” virtual exhibition
17:15 A short documentary on the forced labor service
17:20 Inauguration ceremony of the memorial plaque
Addresses by:
Prof. Dr. Szabolcs Szita, director, Holocaust Memorial Center;
Dr. Csaba Hende, Minister of Defense;
Tamás Vargha, Parliamentary State Secretary, Ministry of Defense;
György Sessler, Chairman, National Association of Forced Laborers.
