Debrecen4U October 22, 2025

The 100th anniversary of the birth of Éva Fahidi was commemorated

The Municipality of Debrecen held a solemn commemoration on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Éva Fahidi, Holocaust survivor and honorary citizen of Debrecen, on October 22, 2025. As part of the commemoration, the Éva Fahidi Grove, named after her, was inaugurated, where participants planted an ornamental apple tree in her memory.

Deputy Mayor István Puskás asked those participants at the commemoration to be together as if at a birthday and to bring together the memories and stories related to Mrs. Éva. “It may be that the honoree is unfortunately no longer with us in physical form, but the stories we have experienced together or shared with us, and her wise life experiences, are here with us now as a living and vibrant presence at this birthday celebration,” the deputy mayor stated. As he said, the ornamental apple tree planted in her memory in the grove that bears her name helps ensure that this living and vibrant presence remains with us in our everyday lives.

He emphasized that we could learn from Éva Fahidi that the love of life and the sanctity of life triumph under all circumstances, and the apple tree planted together is also a symbol of this. He added that he hopes that the grove will not only be a public space in the city but also a point in the fabric of the city that remembers Éva Fahidi and invites us to remember.

Tamás Horovitz, president of the Debrecen Jewish Community, pointed out that the grove is located close to the Jewish quarter and that this place is worthy of Éva Fahidi’s work. It was mentioned that Éva spoke about the Holocaust not only in Debrecen but also in many other places around the country, educating young people, and that these memories must be kept alive. Tamás Horovitz said that in the future, this location will also be included in the program that has been launched with regard to Holocaust education. Tamás Horovitz said that in the future this location will also be included in the program that has been launched regarding Holocaust education.

Andor Andrási, Éva Fahidi’s partner, noted that few people know that she has a foundation called “Life in Nature,” which is why he considers the place particularly worthy of being named after Éva. During the commemoration, Éva Fahidi herself spoke through a previously recorded message. In the audio recording made when she was elected honorary citizen of Debrecen in 2023, she spoke, among other things, about how the citizens of Debrecen can be proud to belong to this community.

A proposal was submitted to the Debrecen Heritage Committee by the Heritage Workshop of the Deák Ferenc Faculty of Law and Political Sciences at Széchenyi István University in Győr, recommending that the life’s work of Holocaust survivor Éva Fahidi be included among Debrecen’s local cultural values.

According to the text of the proposal, preserving the story of Éva Fahidi helps to process the historical past and is exemplary for younger generations in understanding the impact of historical traumas on previous generations and the importance of understanding and solidarity arising from these experiences.

The Debrecen Heritage Committee agreed with the proposers, and Éva Fahidi’s life’s work is now considered one of the outstanding values ​​of Debrecen in the Municipal Value Registry.

The Debrecen Heritage Committee presented a commemorative plaque to the proposer on this occasion, which was presented by Dr. János Mazsu, Chairman of the Debrecen Heritage Committee, to Dr. Zsolt Bóka, Head of the Heritage Workshop making the proposal.

The ceremony ended with the joint planting of an ornamental apple tree, thus also paying tribute to the memory of Éva Fahidi. The students of the Ady Endre Grammar School and the Trio Consort string ensemble participated in the festive program.

Source and photo credit:debrecen.hu