BIOGRAPHY

Elza Brandeisz was born in Rust, Burgenland, Hungary (then Austria-Hungary), on 18 September 1907. She studied at the dance school of Lili Kállai (1900–1996) from 1923 to 1928 and was one of the pioneers of expressive dance in Hungary. To further refine her artistic skills, she took courses in Vienna and later studied with Mary Wigman in Dresden during the 1930s.

In 1944, the Brandeisz family sheltered members of the Jewish Soros family from Budapest in their summer home—specifically, Erzsebet Elisabeth (Bözsi) Soros and her 14-year-old son, György. The Soros family shared the small, one-room house with Brandeisz’s elderly father, mother, and sister. After emigrating to America, György changed his name to George Soros and later became a businessman and billionaire. Soros maintained contact with Brandeisz for many years, sending her letters and financial support, which she, in turn, donated to the Lutheran Church.

After World War II, Hungary’s cultural policies deemed expressive dance decadent, leading to her being banned from performing in 1948. In the years that followed, she worked as a sports and gymnastics teacher in Balatonalmádi, where her family owned a house.

After retiring in 1963, she moved to Sopron and worked as a museum guide at the Storno House until 1978. She was a member of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hungary. On 12 November 1995, the Holocaust organization Yad Vashem in Jerusalem honored her as Righteous Among the Nations.

Even after turning 100, she remained deeply interested in politics and actively participated in public discussions. She was often invited to panel discussions as a contemporary witness, where she eagerly shared her insights.

Elza Brandeisz passed away in Sopron, Győr–Moson–Sopron County, Hungary, on 6 January 2018, at the age of 110 years, 110 days.

RECOGNITION

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “George Soros’s savior Elza Brandeisz, member of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church” – Hungarian Free Press, 11 July 2017

* “George Soros Lebensretterin gestorben” – burgenland.ORF.at, 6 January 2018

* “Eine der Pionierinnen des Ausdruckstanzes: Elza Brandeisz starb mit 110 Jahren” – Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten, 8 January 2018

GALLERY