Page "Oskar Kaufmann" Paragraph 19

Because of the Palestinian economic situation, Kaufmann was forced to return to Europe in 1939.

His many contacts helped him on his journey, but the outbreak of World War II kept him from reaching his intended final destination, England.

The new, restrictive travel laws that were put into place around that time also made it impossible for Kaufmann to travel back to Palestine, as it was a British protectorate at the time.

After September 1940, Kaufmann and his wife holed up in Bucharest, Romania.

However, the rising pressure put on the Romanian Jewish community by the fascist government of Ion Antonescu forced Kaufmann to move once again, to Hungary.

The situation for Jewish war refugees in Hungary was better than in its surrounding countries, but still grim.

Kaufmann's wife was not able to survive the harsh conditions and died in Hungary in 1942.

Kaufmann avoided the mass deportation of Jews which took place in Hungary in 1944, but he was without income and found his financial situation worsening.