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A photo of Georgia M Gabor

Georgia M Gabor 1930 - 1994

Georgia M Gabor of Sierra Madre, Los Angeles County, CA was born on January 15, 1930 in Budapest Hungary. She was in a relationship with James D. Glunts and they later separated. She had children Don Glunts and Roberta Golub. Georgia Gabor died at age 64 years old on October 11, 1994.
Georgia M Gabor
Georgia M Basch, Georgia M Glunts, Georgia Gabor Weinstein
Sierra Madre, Los Angeles County, CA 91024
January 15, 1930
Budapest, Hungary
October 11, 1994
Los Angeles County, California, United States of America
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Georgia M Gabor's History: 1930 - 1994

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  • Introduction

    Georgia's father was Ignacz Basch and her mother was Clara Salamon. She was born n Hungary and was Jewish. At just 14 years old, she witnessed the arrival of Nazis in her hometown of Budapest and lost both parents to concentration camps, endured the torture of others, and survived by hiding in abandoned buildings, sometimes impersonating Nazis. In 1948, she immigrated to the United States. Georgia had a diverse career, teaching math in the San Marino Unified School District for 21 years and working as a Computer Programmer, Author, Publisher, Student, and Mother. In 1981, she published her autobiography, "My Destiny: Survivor of the Holocaust." Her teaching career at Huntington Middle School, starting in 1969, included being recognized as the "Outstanding Teacher of the Year" in 1987 by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Unfortunately, she faced years of anti-Semitic harassment during her tenure, leading to her taking medical leave in September 1990 due to the resulting physical and emotional toll. Georgia recorded an oral history for the Holocaust Museum. See Oral History Interview with Georgia Gabor to read a summary as well as a link the interview.
  • 01/15
    1930

    Birthday

    January 15, 1930
    Birthdate
    Budapest Hungary
    Birthplace
  • Ethnicity & Family History

    Georgia is the daughter of Jgnacz Basch and Clara Basch. She was Jewish and Hungarian. Tragically, her entire family was killed by the Nazis in World War II. She was a Holocaust survivor.
  • Nationality & Locations

    Georgia was born in Hungary and at just 14 years old, she witnessed the arrival of Nazis in her hometown of Budapest. She lost both parents to concentration camps, endured the torture of others, and survived by hiding in abandoned buildings, sometimes impersonating Nazis. In 1948, she came to the United States and resided in California living in Sierra Madre, Marina Del Rey, and Los Angeles.
  • Early Life & Education

    She earned a master’s degree in educational psychology from UCLA.
  • Religious Beliefs

    Jewish
  • Military Service

    Holocaust survivor-- family annihilated in WWII
  • Professional Career

    Georgia held many jobs including teaching math in the San Marino Unified School District for 21 years, was a Computer Programmer, Author, Publisher, Student, and a Mother. She published an autobiography called, “My Destiny: Survivor of the Holocaust,” in 1981. In 1969 became a math teacher at Huntington Middle School. She was a strict teacher who pushed her students to work hard. Before vacations, when students were antsy, she shared stories of her survival during World War II. Gabor allowed those uninterested to do extra credit in another room, but most students stayed, fascinated. In 1987, she received the "Outstanding Teacher of the Year" award from the Daughters of the American Revolution in the San Gabriel Valley Chapter. Sadly during her teaching career at Huntington, she was subjected to years of anti-Semitic harassment and by September of 1990 Gabor said the harassment had made her physically and emotionally ill and her doctor ordered her to go on medical leave. Following that she applied for early retirement in January of 1991. Read more at A Long Lesson in Hate : Holocaust Survivor Sues School District Over Harassment .
  • Personal Life & Family

    On September 25, 1959 she married Frank Weinstein (1932–2000) in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. There is another record showing Georgia and Frank marrying again/ renewing vows on November 12, 1977 in Riverside, California.
  • 10/11
    1994

    Death

    October 11, 1994
    Death date
    Unknown
    Cause of death
    Los Angeles County, California United States of America
    Death location
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    Memories
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4 Memories, Stories & Photos about Georgia

A Long Lesson in Hate : Holocaust Survivor Sues School District Over Harassment
A Long Lesson in Hate : Holocaust Survivor Sues School District Over Harassment- From the Los Angeles Times

A Holocaust survivor who taught math in the San Marino Unified School District for 21 years has sued the district, claiming she was subjected to years of anti-Semitic harassment that school officials failed to stop or discourage.

Georgia Gabor, 62, a Hungarian immigrant whose entire family was killed by the Nazis in World War II, said she became the target of anti-Semitic attacks at Huntington Middle School after she published her autobiography, “My Destiny: Survivor of the Holocaust,” in 1981.

Gabor said she began finding swastikas, slurs and obscenities carved on her classroom door, nearby lockers and school desks. According to her suit, students turned in tests decorated with swastikas. Someone left a photocopied flyer on her desk referring to Jews as ritual murderers. She received late-night phone calls in which anonymous callers said things like “Filthy Jew drop dead,” and then hung up.

Gabor said she made repeated complaints to school officials but the district ignored her pleas and failed to investigate and discipline those involved.

“Every day I had to go to work and be reminded of what I lived through during the Holocaust,” said Gabor, who has been on unpaid leave from the district since late 1990. “It’s unbelievable that administrators can be so irresponsible.”

San Marino Supt. Gary Richards and board member Robert Gayl declined to comment on the case, citing the pending lawsuit. Huntington Principal Charles Johnson could not be reached. But in court documents, the district denied Gabor’s allegations and denied liability for any incidents that might have taken place.

Gabor speaks regularly on the Holocaust at Los Angeles schools in connection with the Anti-Defamation League of the B’nai B’rith. But she said no educational efforts were made in San Marino. Instead, she alleges that the harassment continued for six years, with swastikas and obscenities sometimes remaining in public view for months before district officials removed them.

By September, 1990, Gabor said, the harassment had made her physically and emotionally ill and her doctor ordered her to go on medical leave.

She applied for early retirement in January, 1991, but alleges in her suit that San Marino offered her a lower benefits package than she was entitled to. She said the district also demanded that she sign an 11-page legal document that absolved the district of any future liability.

Tom Brown, a consultant for the California Teacher’s Assn. who negotiated with the district on Gabor’s behalf, said he has never heard of a teacher being asked to sign such a statement.

Instead, Gabor sued the district last October in Los Angeles Superior Court. But until recently, she refused to discuss the suit, which alleges religious discrimination and seeks back pay, full retirement benefits and punitive damages.

Gabor, who kept notes on each incident and took photos of the anti-Semitic graffiti that appeared over the years, said she feels responsibility as a Holocaust survivor to speak out about anti-Semitism.

“It’s very important for me to convey that bigotry and discrimination are what causes man’s inhumanity to man,” Gabor said in an interview. “It can start out by little things but it can mushroom quickly. I know because it happened to me.”

Brown, who saw one of the swastikas at the school, said he believes district officials ignored the harassment of Gabor because they did not want to face up to discriminatory attitudes within San Marino.

“Definitely there is anti-Semitism in San Marino,” Brown said. “It’s hard for me to imagine ignoring a swastika on a school door when you’re a principal.”

The city has traditionally been a bastion of affluent and conservative whites. In the 1960s, one school board member was active in the John Birch Society, which had its Western regional office in San Marino until 1977.

But civic leaders deny there is anti-Semitism in their community. “If anti-Semitism exists, I’m certainly not aware of it,” said Rosemary B. Simmons, a former member of the San Marino City Council. “One of my best friends across the street is Jewish and I don’t think they’ve had any problem.”

But Simmons added that she was surprised school officials allowed the graffiti to remain on doors and desks for so long, saying that such defilements are usually removed immediately in the city.

A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations said there have been various reports of hate crimes in San Marino in the past 10 years, including one of a swastika drawn at an elementary school. But she added that most incidents are directed against the city’s growing Asian-American population.

Gabor says some of the anonymous phone calls came from adults. The hate flyer placed on her desk is typical of propaganda circulated in white supremacist circles. When she stopped at the San Marino post office one day, someone wrote in marker on her car: “Jew, get out of San Marino.”

Gabor was only 14 when the Nazis rolled into her hometown of Budapest. Both her parents perished in concentration camps and she saw others tortured to death. She escaped and, to stay alive, hid in abandoned buildings and at times impersonated Nazis. In 1948, she came to the United States to start a new life.

She earned a master’s degree in educational psychology from UCLA, married and raised a family and in 1969 became a math teacher at Huntington.

She was known as a tough grader who challenged her students. On days before vacation when students were restless, she would tell them stories about how she survived during World War II. Gabor says that students who did not want to listen were allowed to do extra-credit work in another room but that most students stayed, spellbound.

In 1987, she was honored as “Outstanding Teacher of the Year” by the San Gabriel Valley Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Some of Gabor’s former students remember her fondly, including Leon D. Dame, now a Fire Department official in Tucson, who wrote her: “Your class taught me a great deal more than mathematics. You taught me to have respect for all mankind. . . . In recounting your experiences as a young child, you were able to show me that prejudice and racism have no place in this world.”

But others thought Gabor was obsessed with the Holocaust, and they wrote letters critical of her to the school board. One parental letter accused Gabor of being “sly and cunning.” She said that in 1990, 36 parents signed a petition asking that she be removed from the classroom.

Gabor said she tried to ignore the deteriorating situation, but in October, 1990, she finally turned to the San Marino Teachers Assn. for help. The association wrote a letter to Huntington Principal Johnson, asking that the school remove the graffiti immediately, make it clear that such behavior was not acceptable and set up programs to teach tolerance.

Gabor, who received a copy of the letter, said she went to Huntington five days later and saw the swastikas still had not been removed. She never returned.

Written by Denise Hamilton, April 23, 1992
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Georgia Gabor was one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. Her story I will never forget. M. Gabor stood out among teachers for her aliveness, passion, deep intelligence, resilience, humanity, true heroism and grit.
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Oral History Interview with Georgia Gabor


Summary:

Georgia Gabor, born Budapest, Hungary in 1930, describes being the only survivor in her family besides one cousin; growing up in a prominent family; becoming aware that she was different from other Hungarians because she was Jewish in 1942; hearing what was going on in Poland with the Jews; the Germans arriving in March 1944; the formation of a Judenrat (Jewish council), which her father was part of; the book she wrote (My Destiny: Survivor of the Holocaust); restrictions on the Jews; the bombings in Budapest; keeping a notebook of her experiences during that time; the roundups and deportations; receiving a Swiss affidavit; not wearing the star; getting her mother released from the brick factory with the help of a Nazi, who was a former client of her father; witnessing the brutal beatings and torture of Hungarian Jews; hiding out; and her view of American Jews during the war.
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Georgia Gabor
Georgia Gabor
USHMM Holocaust Survivor Oral History
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Georgia Gabor's Family Tree & Friends

Georgia Gabor's Family Tree

Parent
Parent
Partner
Child
Sibling
Partnership

James D. Glunts

&

Georgia M Gabor

Separated
Cause of Separation
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Friendships

Georgia's Friends

Friends of Georgia Friends can be as close as family. Add Georgia's family friends, and her friends from childhood through adulthood.
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4 Followers & Sources
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