“What could one man possibly do?” That’s a question that might cross your mind standing here before the Ocskay Plaque. This plaque commemorates Lászlo Ocskay. He was a captain in the Royal Hungarian Army.
The Ocskay Plaque serves as a reminder of a man who risked everything. He stood against the tide of hatred during World War II. Lászlo Ocskay saved approximately 2500 Jews in Budapest from 1944 to 1945.
Ocskay was born into nobility in 1893 in Pozsony, Austria-Hungary. He came from the Ocskay family of Ocskó and Felsődubovían. His ancestor was the kuruc brigadier Lászlo Ocskay. He was a figure in Rákóczi’s War of Independence.
He served as an artilleryman in World War I and was injured. In 1919, he joined the National Army led by Miklós Horthy. Later, he worked for the American Vacuum Oil Company. The company transported oil into Germany.
In 1943, Ocskay volunteered to serve again. His intention was to help the persecuted Jews. He became commander of the number 101/359 Jewish forced labor battalion. Officially, they collected clothing items for the German army.
Initially, the battalion had 200 men. They were housed in Síp Street in the Jewish quarter. As their numbers grew they moved to the Jewish Secondary School in Zugló. Eventually, about 2500 people were under Ocskay’s protection. This included men, women, and children. He provided them with food, medicine, and even official documents.
Ocskay maintained good relations with the German forces. In January 1945, he used these connections to drive away Arrow Cross members. They were about to execute thousands of Jews by the Danube. The Waffen-SS forces stationed in Budapest helped him. After this, the building remained protected.
Some believe the German forces wanted to improve their image. The military crush was imminent.
After the war, the Soviet army nearly deported the battalion’s men. They managed to escape. Ocskay wasn’t friendly with the communists. They persecuted him for his noble origins. Also, his military past in Horthy’s army and his German connections didn’t help. In 1948, he emigrated to the USA. He lived forgotten and poor. He worked as a night guard in Kingston, N.Y. He died there in 1966.
For decades his story was forgotten in Hungary. In the 1990s, people he rescued initiated a memorial. In October 2008, it was erected in the City Park of Budapest. In July 2015, a street was named after him. In 1996, he received a posthumous gold medal from President Árpád Göncz. Yad Vashem awarded him the Righteous Among the Nations title in 2002.
The Ocskay Plaque stands as a beacon of hope. It illuminates a single man’s courage. It reminds us that even in the darkest of times, one person can make a world of difference. The actions of Lászlo Ocskay should never be forgotten.