#123 – John Hajdu

Holocaust Survivor John Hajdu describes life as a small boy in Budapest as Jews were rounded up, killed and taken to concentration camps during World War 2. He describes the fear of hiding in a dark cupboard at age 4, living in a cramped ghetto with little food, dead bodies on the streets, being forced to wear a Yellow Star and finally escaping Hungary through a minefield with just his teddy bear and clothes given to him in Vienna. John, now 85, finds it desperately painful watching history repeat itself in Ukraine. He was honoured to be photographed recently by Rankin, “John’s bear is a tangible reminder that the stories we are telling happened in recent history and we must learn from these events – for a better future.” Photography by Rankin.