Juda (Julian) Bonat 1898 - 1945

Born 2.10.1898 in Tarnów
Died 13.3.1945 in Mauthausen

Biography

Juda ”Julian” Bonat, was born in Tarnów, Austria to a wealthy Austrian Jewish family on October 2nd, 1898. His father was named Wolf Bonat, and his mother was named Esther Bonat (nee Singer). He was the youngest of seven. His older siblings were Samuel (b. 1880), Harry (b. 1887), Efraim (b. 1889), Mozes (b. 1891), Gisa (b. 1893), and Mordekhai (b. circa 1895). Juda grew up in Vienna, Austria in the district of Leopoldstadt. He attended Stadttemple Synagogue (which is the only synagogue in Vienna to have survived the holocaust), from the time he was a baby to the time he departed Vienna. He was well educated and well-traveled, having been to the United States, Switzerland, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Poland, England, and more.

In 1916, he was drafted for WW1 and proudly fought for Austria-Hungary until WW1 was over in 1918. After the war, he returned to Vienna went to work.

He never married, nor had children. But he did have many nieces and nephews, both in the United States, and in Austria. He also likely did have a catholic girlfriend whom he broke up with in 1937. In 1938, after the Nazis arrived in Vienna, Juda applied for a Visa out of Austria. He wanted to immigrate to New York City, where his older two brothers Harry and Samuel lived. Unfortunately, this was never granted, and he illegally fled Austria in 1939. He ended up going to Antwerp, where some of his other brothers had escaped too. In 1942, Juda went into hiding. He was caught in 1944 and was sent to Auschwitz. He was in Auschwitz until January 17th, 1945, when he was forced on a death march to Mauthausen. He arrived on Mauthausen on January 28th, 1945. Unfortunately, Juda died in the sanitary camp (Sanitätslager) on March 13th, 1945, just over a month after he arrived in Mauthausen.

He was 46 years old.

 

Annaliese Bonat, grandniece

Location In room