Christmas in Los Angeles
A Christmas Telegram to Budapest
On January 6, 1940, Matyi Gerbner wrote a letter to his older brothers, Opapa and Laci:
My dear Gyuri and Laci,
We were very happy to receive your Christmas telegram. It is a great relief to us that you are together, however, we are surprised that we have not received any detailed description from You about the “difficulties” of the last month (and you have not even sent my stamps back, Gyuri!).
Matyi Gerbner to George Gerbner and Laslo Benedek, January 7, 1940
Matyi’s letter confirms that Opapa made it to Los Angeles by Christmas 1939. It also alludes to the “difficulties” of the previous month — about which, apparently, Opapa had not been forthcoming.
Matyi’s letter was addressed to George Gerbner c/o L. Benedek at 8761 Appian Way, Los Angeles California.
I looked up the house, and it was built in 1936 — so it was relatively new when Opapa and Laci were there in 1939/40. I’m not yet sure who owned the house, but it would have been a nice place to land after eight months of traveling: it had 3 bedrooms, ample outdoor space, and stunning views of the hills and the city of Los Angeles. (You can see the Zillow listing of the house here, which shows the current interior and panoramic views.)
I can imagine Opapa looking out over the hills and the city, talking to Laci — catching each other up on all that had happened in the past years.
On December 25, 1939, soon after reuniting, the brothers sent a telegram to their family back in Budapest. I don’t know what it said, but Matyi referred to a “Christmas telegram” in his letter.
Matyi’s reference piques my interest. What, exactly, was a “Christmas telegram”? Did that just mean that it was sent on Christmas, or did Opapa and Laci send Christmas greetings to their family in Budapest?
The underlying question, of course, has to do with the complicated role of religion in Opapa’s life: how “Jewish” was he? Did Opapa grow up celebrating Christmas? Or were the Gerbner family’s references to Christmas (I have found multiple references to Christmas, and no references to Hannukah so far) simply due to the fact that they lived in a majority Christian country?
It’s possible that the Gerbner family did celebrate Christmas in 1930s Hungary, even if they were not Christian. It was pretty common for assimilated German Jews to have Christmas trees in their homes, and to celebrate the holiday by baking and gathering together for a Christmas meal. Here is a photograph of a German Jewish family with a Christmas tree in the background:
It’s possible to gain a little more insight about the meaning of Christmas from another letter written by Opapa’s mother. On December 16, 1939, just before Opapa arrived in LA, Margit Gerbner wrote:
My little Gyuri, this is a very sad Christmas for me – you should not have one – You are young, strong, talented and you have hope, goals in your life – I am not looking forward to anything anymore and hope has left me long ago. My Gyuri, Christmas is coming – we already have the first snow. It is so unbelievably beautiful, seeing the white snow on the trees – what does any of this matter – I come in the mornings and I go home in the evenings.
Margit Gerbner to George Gerbner, December 16, 1939
Margit’s letter suggests that Christmas was a time that their family gathered together, and she was heartbroken that her sons would not be with her during the holidays.
I will come back to this topic in the future but for now, it seems clear that — as Margit’s letter suggests — for the Gerbners, Christmas was a time to be together as a family, even if it was not a “religious” holiday.
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Nuts to crack:
Who owned the house at 8761 Appian Way? Were both Laci and Opapa houseguests, or was Laci renting the house, or a room in the house? I am assuming he did not own it, but I might be wrong.
What did it mean to celebrate Christmas? I have been trying to find references to the history of Christmas celebrations among Jews in Budapest. Any recommendations/references?
I'll send you the draft card. Didn't find the house on the census; maybe Laci Americanized his name? In 1940 Gyorgi lived on Wilshire Blvd.
On Laci's draft card 1944 - 8856 Appian Way is written on the top in pencil, so he didn't stay in the same house, but moved nearby. The 1940 Federal census would say whether he was rented or owned the house but he must be using a different version of his name.