Numerus clausus laws stopped Bela L to study in Hungary – hence, like many more would-be Jewish physicians, he enrolled at the Medical School of Bologna University. After graduation, he remained in Italy to start his medical practice.
By the time of the outbreak of WW2 he already had his official invitation to the Dermatology Clinic of Sidney – along with the work-permit issued by the British Embassy.
Before embarking for Australia, Bela went home to Hungary to say farewell to his family. He was not allowed to leave the country again: as a suspected communist and a Jew, he was taken to a special penal company of forced labor and driven to the Russian front already in 1940. Many escapes, extreme deprivation and the freezing cold aside, he always kept to the Hippocratic Oath. He was constantly attending to those in need, making the most of makeshift emergency rooms, lack of basic hyginic conditions or medical equipment. Many lives were saved by his commitment and courage both during his years in forced labor and later the many months as POW in a Russian camp.
This pipe carved from wood was in gratitude for Bela by a fellow prisoner of war somewhere in Siberia in the final months of the war.
