Memorial at Eisenerz
Twenty years after surviving the massacre of 500 prisoners at Eisenerz, Judita returned to the same mountain town with her brother and her children. When talking to a local shop owner she described dodging bullets and the mass shooting in the valley. The shop owner accused Judita of lying claiming “Nobody was killed here!” Judita was so angry that her brother had to stop her from charging at the man. Judita was able to share the truth in 1993, when she participated in a documentary about the death marches of Hungarian Jews in Austria. She traveled back to the Steyer Alps, stood in Eisenerz, and told her story of survival and the lives lost during the massacre. As a result of the film “Alles Schweigen” (All Be Silent), memorials were raised at several locations in Austria, including Eisenerz.
Memorial at Washington and Lee University Hillel House
Judita’s parents perished in Auschwitz, and thus there is no stone marking their grave. This changed in 2008 with the opening of a Hillel House on the campus of Judita’s granddaughter’s college, Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Within the Hillel House (a place to build Jewish identity on college campuses) is an eternal light dedicated to the memory of Marta and Otto Ilkovics, Judita’s parents. Judita’s daughter and son-in-law, Drs. Eva and Mark Horn, conceived of the light as a way to remember Eva’s grandparents.
Publications, Documentaries, and Speaking Engagements
Judita was committed to sharing her story to honor and remember those who did not survive. Her story has been published in books and anthologies, and captured in documentaries. After retiring in the 1990s Judita dedicated her time to speaking engagements. She spoke at schools, universities, community centers, churches, and temples. Some of her most prized possessions were letters from teachers and students thanking her for sharing her story, and promising to share it with others.
When concluding her talks, Judita would often reflect on some of the habits that remained from her Holocaust experience. For instance, she always traveled with a piece of bread. She also found joy in small moments. If she was outside in terrible weather and she was wet and cold, she would feel elated because she knew that in a few minutes she would be inside, where it would be dry, safe, beautiful, and warm. And when she would feel sad, she would find herself counting her breaths and find happiness in the fact that she could take as many breaths as she wanted.