The Jacobs Family made a donation to Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy’s Jewish Heritage Trip in memory of their parents and grandparents, Dr. Bela and Anna Ilona Gondos (z”l).
Bela and Anna Ilona grew up and were married in Hungary, and their daughter, Judy, was born there. The family survived Bergen-Belsen concentration camp when Judy was just seven years old. They came to the United States after the war and successfully rebuilt their lives.
Anna Ilona was an artist, and Bela was a lifelong student of Judaica, medicine, history and everything else that crossed his path. He became a Zionist while in secondary school. Anna Ilona and Bela were committed to Jewish education, recognizing it as the strongest factor in the survival of the Jewish people. For many years, Bela gave lectures about the Holocaust, and Judy continues to do so in Kansas City.
Grandsons of Bela and Anna Ilona attended HBHA, as did their local great-grandchildren.
The Jewish Heritage Trip is open to any Jewish juniors or seniors in the Kansas City community, not just HBHA students. The trip includes time in Israel, Bulgaria, Poland and Germany, tracing modern Jewish history from before and during the Holocaust up to modern day.
“The Jewish Heritage Trip is not something we take for granted, and everyone in both the 11-12th grades and the HBHA community are extremely grateful for the opportunity,” said Norah Pabst, Chronicle intern, in February.
