Maria Anna Elisabeth (Beile) Deutsch

Marika (Beile) Deutsch was born in Budapest on October 14, 1923. She died on July 9, 1987 (12. Tamus 5747) in Zurich, aged 63, after prolongued but brave suffering at her home. Here are a few stations in her life:

Childhood

From her birth to March 23, 1944, the day of her arrest by the GESTAPO, she lived at 16, Lendvay ut., Budapest VI, the family villa. She passed her childhood in the protected environment, created by her industrialist father, Sandor Deutsch, who became in 1928, vice-general director of HUNGARIA, and in 1930 its general director (CEO). Before that, in 1911 he became an independent entrepreneur and amassed a fortune, till he fusioned his factories in 1928 with HUNGARIA. Her mother, Rozsi Deutsch-Pick came from a simpler family. She was widowed in WWI and her marriage to Sandor was her second marriage. She had two unmarried brothers, Marci and Sanyi, who also lived in the Deutsch villa, as well as her widowed mother, Johanna Pick-Uffenheimer. Marika was the second child, her brother, Denes was born two years before. The household was supported by a cook, two chambermaids, a driver and gardener, and two nannies.


Left: Marika with her mother
Right: Marika with Denes


Left and middle: Marika with Denes
Right: Denes and Marika with their mother

Till she entered primary school, Marika only spoke German at home, the language of her father and his family. The nanny was hired from Vienna to make sure German was properly spoken. Marika and Denes were always guarded, and care was taken to have them mingle only with respectable children. They spent most of the time at home, with the nannies or the bachelor uncles, or went to play in the nearby city park "Stadtwaeldchen", behind the Millennium Square. The summers are spent at the two family estates. Till 1928, when it was liquidated, the family had a 900 ha estate, which was called Medzihaj, near Bialy Kostol, north west of Trnava. The estate was sold in 1928. In 1945 it became the National Institute for Corn Research From 1936 on the family had a 450 ha estate Pajta Puzsta extending over the two villages of Hehalom and Palotas near Hatvan, an hour's drive north-east from Budapest.


The summer residence "Pajta Puzsta"

There are plenty of stories about life on the family owned villages. Still in Slovakia, Denes broke an arm falling off a swing. On Pajta Puzsta both Denes and Marika had their own horses, Marika's horse was called "Mausi", a grey (female). Marika also had a tame hare, who enjoyed feeding on the specially grown roses in the Master's garden. Finally, Rozsi couldn't tolerate it anymore, and she gave the hare to the gardener, who slaughtered and cooked it. Marika was very hurt by this. She was about forteen then.


Left: Onion harvest
Right: Poppy harvest, row, barn, Marika with a friend driving a horse carriage.

Denes and Marika grew up as the crown prince and princess to take a role in their father's newly created empire. In fact, among her neighbors, they were known as the "Koenigskinder" (the King's children).

From Fall 1933 till Spring 1941 she studied at the catholic Maria Terezia Leanygimnaziumi and got her matriculation exam (Matura) on June 19, 1941 with decent but not excellent grades.

Her brother Denes went to the prestigious protestant school "XXXXX". He gets baptized protestant after graduation and leaves Hungary in February 1940, to study chemistry at the ETH in Zurich, under Proff. Fierz, Niggli and Ruzicka. He completes his Diploma in 1944 and his Ph.D. in 1946, under the supervision of Prof. XXXX. This was not the profession of his choice, but a result of his father's plans for him as his successor at HUNGARIA.
Denes does not return to Hungary, but for a visit in the 60ties. Marika's relationship with Denes were marked by love, solidarity, betrayal and guilt feelings.

University

From fall 1941 on till spring 1944 (German occupation) and again in 1945, Marika was enrolled at the Department of Agricultur of the Agricultural and Veterinary Faculty of the the Technical and Economical University "Palatine Joseph". However, she was detained for almost 5 months in 1944. She has a certificate that she has completed 8 semesters and the I. and II. rigorous examinations with good results. The topic was chosen by her father to protect his estate Pajta Puszta from complete nationalization. The title of the estate was transferred to Marika in 1941, who, as an agronomist, could own up to 700 Joch. Although a jew, she was allowed to study at the university, but had to sit in the courses on seats specially reserved for the jews (Judenbank). The study books of her Hungarian university studies are preserved.


Left: Marika as student, ca. 1941
Right: Marika on her horse "Mausi", ca. 1943

In 1946 she was for one semester enrolled at the Juridical Faculty of the "Pazmany Peter" University, where she completed one semester. Also in 1946 she was for one semester enrolled at the Juridical Faculty of the Geneva University (Switzerland). This we know from her personal tales.

Engagement to Ferry

In 1943 Marika got engaged to Ferry (Ferdinand) Freund and was to be married in April 1944 in a roman-catholic ceremony. Ferry was a baptized jew from a very wealthy family.


Marika and Ferry, 1944

His sister, Lea Ziegler-Freund, still lives in an apartment on Kodaly square in Budapest in a house which formerly belonged entirely to the family. Marika was baptized roman-catholic in Budapest on February 1, 1944, on the name Marianna Erszebet and Lea Ziegler and her husband Tibor were the godparents.

German occupation of Hungary

However, Marika was arrested, together with her mother und uncle Marci, on March 23, 1944 in the family Villa and detained Kisztarza. Marika suffers from tuberculosis and is treated in the camp's hospital, with additional medication provided by HUNGARIA. From August 4 to August 7, 1944 Marika was detained in Foe ut. Prison (today Ministery of Justice and Police prison, then used by the GESTAPO) and met there H. Szenes, with whom she exchanged cigarettes. On August 7, 1944 she was released from prison, but had to report regularly to the GESTAPO in Hotel Astoria. Her mother was released from GESTAPO detention on September 27, 1994. The period from May till October 1944 is very well documented in the letters from GESTAPO detention, which are complete preserved.

During the Soviet siege, Marika and her mother in hiding, and enjoy the help of the Guth family, their driver Kupai and his family, and many others. Christmas eve 1944 Marika spends with the Kupai family, when the house is hit by a bomb. They were on the third floor, and found themselves with external wall having disappeared. We have little knowledge about how they spent the period before the liberation of Budapest. Marika worked as a Red Cross nurse must have seen horrible things. Only on her death bed in 1987 did she speak about the fear of dying. "I am not afraid of death", she said, "I have seen too much of it, not to be familiar".

Underground and protected


Swiss consular documents (Lutz)


Swedish consular documents (Wallenberg)


False identity and Helen Pecs

On her 21st birthday, October 14, 1944, Szalasi and his Cross Arrow party take power in Hungary. From October 25, 1944 till March 13, 1945 Marika lives under the false identity of Helen Pecs. A complete set of documents of Helen Pecs' ancestors was bought and the documents survived.

In June 1945 the immediate family was safe together again, Marika and her parents in Budapest, Denes was ordered to stay in Switzerland. Rozsi's brothers were also alive in Budapest. Her fiance, Ferry, returns from the eastern front, but is not interested in marriage anymore. Nevertheless, there were many victims of the Holocaust in the families of Sandor's brothers and sisters. The following did not return from their deportation:

From March 1945 on Marika is, with permission of Occupation Soviet, in charge of the agricultural enterprise Pajta Puszta, and Mr. Berger, the former administrator, returns to his job.

Marriage with Andras

Marika resumes her studies in fall 1945 at the Budapest Royal Hungarian University "Pazmany Peter". In Spring 1946 Marika meets Andras Majtenyi in Istvan Rath's office. Rath is the director of Servita, Gyoergyszergyar es Vegyipar R.T., a pharmaceutical company restructured after the war by Sandor Deutsch. Its purpose is to produce synthetic penicillin and vitamin C, and for this purpose, Prof. Albert Szent-Gy\"orgyi, the Nobel proze winner of 1937, is recruited as its scientific director. Marika works also for Istvan Rath. Andras work for the Ministry of External Commerce and is in charge with improving relations with Romania. Marika gets pregnant, and is sent to Switzerland, offcially to study law in Geneva, but actually an abortion is arranged secretely by Andras and Istvan Rath. The abortion experience leaves Marika in deep remorse, and she decides to get married to Andras and have a child.

On December 19, 1946 Marika gets married to Andras Majtenyi. The witnesses are Benes (from the board of HUNGARIA) and Csont (from the Communist Party).


Left: Andras
Middle: Wedding with Andras, with Mr. Benes Jr. and F. Csont
Right: Her parents in law: Nelly and Jeno Markovics

Andras works for the Ministerey of Foreign Trade, where he holds a high position and is heavily involved in reestablishing Hungarian trade relations with the rest of the world. In particularly he is in charge of preparing a treaty with Rumania, which is signed in January 1948. Photographs of the signing ceremony survive. The wedding trip brings them to Paris, Zurich, Luzern and Rumania.

On March 12, 1948 her son, János, is born.

In October Marika's mother orders private investigators to follow for three weeks Andras and prove his infidelties. Marika is brought to a place where they catch Andras in the act.

On February 28, 1949 Marika and Andras get divorced. In post-war Hungary divorce is possible by mutual agreement after a minimum of two years of marriage. They both succumbed to external pressures, not being ready for divorce. They continue their stormy love story.

Emigration to Zurich

On June 4, 1949 Marika and her son Janos arrive in Zurich. They live formally in Baden, as they have no residence right in Zurich. But Marika and Janos stay often in Zurich with her parents, who reside in the Wellenberg Boarding House.


Left: Marika and Janos 1948 in Budapest
Middle: Andras, Janos and Marika 1948 in Budapest
Right: Baden, Switzerland, the day of Marika's arrival with Janos in Switzerland.

Marika is very unhappy in Zurich. She ponders emigrating to Canada, but would like to leave her son behind for a year with her parents, who strongly disagree.

Marika has several suitors, but the moment they realize she is a divorcee and has 2 year old son, they hesitate to continue their courting efforts. Most of them are Hungarian emigres or Swiss from the pool of business acquaintances of Marika's father. Among the suitors is a very flashy and wealthy businessman, Gabriel (Gabi) Makowsky (born June 6, 1908), who is still married (since 1934) and has two daughters, Marlen (born 1935) and Gerda (born 1937). Gabi is very fond of Janos, as he always wanted a son.

Gabi files for divorce from his wife Rosa Makowsky-Mandeltort in the intention to get married to Marika. They were married in an arranged marriage, coming both from Jewish-Orthodox families. Gabi orders secretely a graphological evaluation of Marika's handwriting, which he gets on January 29, 1951. The evaluation is found satisfactory.

Marika has a very intensive correspondence with Andras from June 2, 1949 till December 1950 (but it continues irregularly till 1951). Also in 1951 Marika gets into problems with her residence permit, which is not renewed. The case is appealed and lost, as the authorities cannot get convinced of the usefulness of Marika's (and her parent's) presence in Zurich, which already suffers, according to the City council, from oversaturation with foreigners. Finally Marika gets an expulsion order for herself and Janos, which is made null and void only through her marriage to Gabi.

Marriage with Gabi

Gabi gets divorced on March 8, 1951. Marika and Gabi get married on August 10, 1951. Later in the month Gabi is presented to the three year old Janos as his father. On February 9, 1952 an inventary of the wive's property is deposited at the State Notary. It is valued at 260'000 thousand Swiss Francs, and includes collectors art work, jewels, furs and cash. In summer 1952 Gabi and Marika take residence in the Mythenschloss (Mythen Castle) a very posh residential building on the lake shore.


Left: Happy family: With Gabi and Janos,
Right: Marika and Gabi, Denes and Hani, Sandor, Janos and Rozsi

Gabi and Marika's father Sandor work together and are successful in exploiting the black markets of the emerging Cold War. They make four million SFR in circumventing the western copper embargo on the Warsaw Pact States. Due to indiscretion of collaborators these operations are brought to an end after being exposed in Time Magazine. Sandor invests his part of the money in his new venture, the RHEIN-CHEMIE in Kaiseraugst, near Basel. Gabi wastes his money with exuberant life style and careless signing of guarantees which fault. Sandor has to bail him out several times.

Illness

In 1952 (or so) Marika is diagnosed with gall bladder stones and the gall bladder is removed. She spends 3 weeks in hospital (Hirslanden, a private and very expensive clinic). The family doctor is the darling of the prominent and rich, Dr. Esselier. He is also the doctor of the Shah of Persia, when he spends his time in Switzerland. A few years later Gabi has also problems with gall stones.

Andras vs Gabi

In 1952 custody of Janos is transfered to Marika alone. In 1953 Andras is arrested by the political police (AVO) in Budapest. In 1954 Andras is asked, while in jail, to approve a name change for his son Janos to become Janos Makowsky. He is very hurt by this request but finally signes the permission.

Marika's marriage deteriorates under the financial misfortunes and decline of Gabi. Gabi wants Janos to be his son, but Marika hesitates. Finally, in September 1956 Janos name change to become Janos Makowsky is approved and registered in Hungary.

Already in August 1955 Andras leaves prison, but cannot well reintegrate in normal life. Hungarian society develops versus a serious crisis, which comes to an eclat in Fall 1956. In November 1956 Andras leaves Hungary clandestinely via Austria to ask for political asylum at the French Embassy in Vienna and gets permission to settle in Paris. In 1957, he passes through Zurich and requests to see Marika and his son. Marika rushes to fetch him at the train station and Gabi is left with revealing to Janos the truth about his fathers. Janos easily adapts to having now two fathers (Gabi-papi and Andras-papi) but for Gabi a dream was shattered.


15. September 1957: True father revealed

Gabi's suicide

In 1957 Gabi tries to shoot himself, but fails. He is found immobile in his office unhurt seemingly holding a gun firmly against his temple for several hours. His financial situation deteriorates again, and so does the marriage. Marika and Gabi discuss divorce, but Marika insists, this should be delayed till after financial recovery. On February 5, 1958 Gabi successfully shoots himself during the lunch break in his Mythen Schloss residence.

Upon hearing of Gabi's death, Andras rushes to Zurich to ask Marika to remarry him. Marika declines. In February 1959, Marika's mother, and in June her father pass away. Marika is busy sorting out the inheritance, which is disappointing and further diminished by disagreements with her brother Denes concerning handling non-declared assets. Finally she inherits ca. 160'000 Sfr, Jewels, art works and furniture.


The young widow

Starting from scratch

Marika lives from selling art works, which turn out to be of less value than expected. In the course of selling art work, she meets Dr. Eduard Huettinger, then curator of the "Kunsthaus" in Zurich. They fall in love and start a long and contorted affair.

In 1958-59 Marika attended a course at the "Benedict Schule" and graduated (with distinction) with a diploma as a "Secretary". This enabled her to be employed as a secretary with qualifications in type writing, stenography (Stolze-Schrey), German busines correspondence and accounting. The Diploma document exists.

Friwag AG

In 1959 Marika took a job near her residence (Alfred Escherstrasse) as an auxiliary accountant for a small subsidiary (two persons), "FRIWAG Mineralwasser AG" of soft drink sales of "Waedenswiler Bier". This enabled her to care for her son also over lunch. She worked there from August 21, 1959 till February 28, 1961. The attest issued when she left the job asserts that she was employed as a clerk and worked as an auxiliary accountant in charge of the whole accounting and billing operation of the subsidiary. She worked mostly independently. He duties were completed impeccably, her dealings with clients over the telephone was always forthcoming and polite, she was a pleasant collaborator. Furthermore it is stressed that she left her job because she had found a new place with better prospectives for her professional forthcoming, and that her superior regrets her departure and wishes her success in her further professional life. Indeed, Marika used to wonder, what her boss, Mr. Mxxxx, was really doing, as he showed up in his office rather irregularly, relying completely on Marika's work. Her salary then was 800.- Sfr. per month, before taxes and other deductions.

Beutler Bern

In 1961, Alex Beutler (her cousin Otto's son), opened a distribution subsidiary of his holesale fashion business "Beutler Bern" in Zurich and made Marika responsible for this operation. The work contract stipulates that her basic salary would be 1000.- Sfr, before taxes and deductions, and that she would be remunerated additionally for increase in turnover of "Beutler Bern". In the year before the turnover of "Beutler Bern" was 1'800'000 Sfr. She was given an advance payment for the provision of 400 Sfr. per month, which corresponded to an annual increase in turnover to 2'400'000 Sfr. She worked there from March 15, 1961 till , formally, December 30, 1964. As a matter of fact, she left the place in October, generously being granted payment till the end of the year. The work attest issued when she left her job states that the parties parted on friendly terms and her departure was caused by internal reorganizations of "Beutler Bern", which required that Marika would have to work in Bern, which was not possible for her due to family reasons. The appraisal of her performance was less enthousiastic than on her first job. The truth is that the expected increase in turnover was not sufficient to cover the cost of the Zurich subsidiary and Marika's expectations of salary plus provisions. The terms of departure were overshadowed by emotional complications. Alex was a rational businessman who wanted to help Marika but on sound economic terms. Marika felt undervalued, and being a spoiled woman, and older by six years, could not accept Alex, her cousin's son and younger relative, treating her merely as a cost-effective employee.

Osswald Boutique

On December 1, 1964 she took a new job as the manager of Osswald's Boutique at Bahnhofstrasse Zurich. She was very excited and looked forward to a new career as a manager of a perfume and fashion boutique. But in January 1965 she was diagnosed breast cancer and surgical interventions was thought to be urgent. She left her job on January 31, 1965 and the work attest speaks only of termination by mutual agreement.

Marika and Janos, 1963

Illness and Edi

Edi Huettinger and Marika live separately, but are together. Edi leaves the Museum and becomes assistant professor at Zurich University. He has a positive influence on Marika's and my intellectual curiosity. Marika would like to get married, but only under the condition that she can leave work and be a kept woman. This is financially not possible then. But Edi eventually moves into an apartment in the same house (Mythenschloss) as Marika, just a floor below. When illness strikes, Edi already lives there. Mammasectomy is performed in early summer 1965, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. While Marika is in Hospital, Edi has heart attack and is treated in the same hospital. Before her mammasectomy, Marika makes Edi promise, with Marianne Ostier as a witness, that he would marry her, if she recovers. He promises (did he have a choice), but feels coerced.

Marika recovers in 1966 and Edi is appointed extra-ordinary professor at Heidelberg University. He accepts the position, but stays in Zurich for his domicile, hoping for a professorship at Zurich University, where he is the darling of Prof. Jedlicka and official crownprince for succession after the impending retirement of Prof. Jedlicka. Marriage is postponed, and the Heidelberg-Zurich arrangement makes an acceptable excuse.

Bernhard Altmann, Vienna

In Juli 1966 Marika applies for a position as executive manager of "Berhard Altmann AG, Zurich" a textile company fully owned by "Berhard Altmann, Vienna". She is employed on trial bases in August 1966 and her contract is converted into regular employment starting on January 1, 1967. Her salary now consists first of 14 monthly payments of 2000.- Sfr per year before taxes and deductions, and from January 1967 on of 14 monthly payments of 2500.- Sfr per year before taxes and deductions and 1% provision on turnover up to 1 million, and 1.5 % for turnover exceeding 1 million. Marika fullfills her new job very successfully, but the mother company in Vienna is in deep troubles and has to be extricated from bankruptcy by state intervention. In March 1970 the employment is terminated and converted into a representation. Marika founds "Textilagentur Makowsky", and becomes sole Swiss representative of "Berhard Altmann, Vienna". "Berhard Altmann, Zurich" is dissolved and Marika is entitled to rent their former offices at Florastrasse 28, to hire the former traveling salesmen and secretary and is given the furniture and office equipment for free. The contract with "Berhard Altmann, Vienna" is for one year to be renewed annualy unless notice is given three month ahead. Marika's provision is 15% of the effective and paid sales. As a result of her frequent visits to Vienna, Marika resumed intimate contacts with several of her girlfrinds from childhood, Eva, Panni, Marika G., Tuzzi and their husbands. She also resumed contact with Lea Ziegler-Freund, Ferri's, her former fiancee's sister, Zsuzsi in Paris, Paulette from Bolivia. In Zurich her best friend was Susan Wyler, a kept woman, lover of one of the Kimche brothers, who was unhappily married and who was one of the owners of the private bank "Bank Landau und Kimche, Zurich". There were two or three others of her age, and then there was aunt Luise, Luise Farkas, widowed, her late mother's best friend.

Prospective husbands

Marika was looking for a husband who would accept her independence and be at the same time true provider and consort. Some of her Jewish Hungarian friends in Vienna wanted to play matchmakers and several candidates emerged. There was Jenoe Weinreb from Geneva. Jenoe was actively courting her in 1964. He had ammassed a considerable fortune of 40 million dollars speculating in Whiskey, and lived alone with his chinese cook and a live-in maid in a luxury apartment overlooking the lake. He was 15 years older than Marika, who was 41, and finally was rebuffed. Marika decided she was still too young and attractive to become a kept woman who would be mostly a decorative display. She still tried to hope for a life with Edi. She longed for passion and tender love. After recovery from cancer Marika's Hungarian Jewish friends in Vienna and Zurich urged her even more to get remarried, to make sure she was provided for. They saw, before Marika wanted to realize it, that Edi was a bad choice who would never make good on his promise. Anyhow, Edi was in Heidelberg, and their relation turned cooler. The friends introduced her to David Wechsler from Sidney. Wechsler's parents where also from Trnava and had moved to Budapest after WWI. They belonged to the same social circle as Marika's parents. Young Wechsler left in time for Australia and started from scratch. Now David was very rich, he was in textiles, one of Australia's biggest makers of men's shirts. He was a friend of the famous philantropist and one of the richest men in Australia, Strasser, and of Alexander Winter, and old friend of Marika's parents who lived in Paris. Alexander's late wife Ilona was another intimate friend of her mother. David had just lost his wife to cancer and returned to Europe to find, with the help of his old Hungarian Jewish connections, a replacement. David was over 60, and Marika was 45. Even before Marika met him, her conditions were negotiated. He agreed that she would live in Zurich. He would spend half the time in Sidney attending his business and being close to his adult children. They would spend at least 6 months per together in Europe. He would provide her with an arpanage which would allow her a very convenient life, even if she stopped working. Finally, it was decided that meeting made sense, and they met in Venice, Hotel Danieli, for a long weekend. Marika was very excited, but with mixed feelings. She returned bitter and broken from Venice. The first days were pleasant and a tender relationship started growing. Finally David wanted to become intimate and Marika confessed her handicap, that she had a breast amputated. David, after having lost his first wife to cancer just recently, could not hold his temper, "never again do I want to loose a wife like this", he exclaimed, and Marika to the next train back to Zurich. David travelled to Salburg, it was festival season, and he found himself a Hungarian Jewish widow from the US and they got married within weeks. She moved to Australia, and he signed over all his belongings to her, to save on inheritance tax, in case he would die. Less than two years later she died of cancer. He inherited his fortune from her, paid a lot of inheritance tax and rushed back to Europe. He wanted to ask Marika for her hand. But she was too proud for the deal. By now, in 1970 she was an independent business woman. In remorse he wanted to help her. Winter, Strasser and Wechsler, through a proxy company, "Impaloan, Establishment, Vaduz, Liechtenstein", they became silent partners of Marika's business and paid her 30'000 Sfr.The arrangement became contractual reality on November, 3, 1971.


Left: Textilagentur Marianne Makowsky, at the trade fair, ca. 1976
Right: Passfoto, ca. 1980

Textilagentur Makowsky

For 17 years Marika was an independent business woman. In the first years she represented exclusively "Bernhard Altmann", but as the decline of "Bernhard Altmann" in Vienna continued, she was allowed to represent other, non-competing, and later even competing producers. "Bernhard Altmann" produced woolware and bathing suits for women. Finally "Bernhard Altmann, Vienna" was bought by Ganahl in Dornbirn, who tried unsuccessfully to salvage the name. Marika shifted her business slowly towards more and more elegant women's fashion and extricated herself of her dependence of Altmann-Ganahl. Yves St. Laurent's line of underware got started in Switzerland with her, but turned out to be failure. For a while she tried to import woolware from Scotland and represented "Pringle" for a few seasons. Finally she focused more and more on Italian producers and designers and specialized in Pret-a-porter. In 1983-1984 she represented Cerruti1881 Femme (Paris), Cesare Piccini (Florence), Regina Schreker, Givenchy 5 (Paris), Gianni Salva (Italy), Marie Jamin - Crepe de Chine, Carla Fashion, Didier Ronsard. She was a name in her field, competing successfully on a lost job. Business practices changed, most sales were done a trade and fashion fares, and only her expertize convinced her partners to continue with her.

The last years

In 1985 Marika reaches the peak of her career as a fashion agent. She represents the Italian top designer Nino Cerutti, the Japanese Hana Mori and her ambition is set to work for Karl Lagerfeld, too. But she has become a bitter woman, disappointed by friends and genuinly lonely. Her son is in Israel with a successful academic career, two lovely children who do not speak German, and stuck in a less successful mariage, which should would have liked to be dissolved. Then cancer develops again. In 1986 metastasis is diagnosed. She refuses to get treatment which will extend life, but make it unbearable. She continues her work, and Karl Lagerfeld does contact her through his agents. Whether she were interested to represent a new collection of his in Switzerland. In the beginning of 1987 her suffering gets worse. In April she gets hospitalized but insist on returning home. Her son, in the middle of divorce procedure, commutes between Israel and Zurich and organizes her medical care at home with hired nurses. He spents most of the time in Zurich, manages to have his children visit grandmother in May, and she dies in July in his arms. She died bravely, always an elegant lady.


Left: In Ischia, 1986
Right: Gravestone, Oberer Friesenberg, Zurich

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