Kati Erdos on her wedding day with her first husband

This photo of me was taken when I first got married. I had a student Magda Fishel in Latin who was making photos and she made this picture the day we got married. Magda´s family was very Orthodox and I remember when I went to see them I was always afraid of making a mistake [in terms of behavior accepted by the Orthodox]. I met my first husband, Gyorgy Tibor, at the Conservatory, when I attended it. He had already graduated at that time as a violinist. We got married in secret in 1943, because my parents wouldn't agree, because he didn't make a living; he was in forced labor service. Even his father didn't know, because he wanted his son to be a world-renowned violin soloist, and an early marriage would tie him down immediately to weekdays. But it came to light, and then we rented a room. I gave Latin lessons, and earned a lot; I had about 20 pupils, while my husband was playing the violin in the Orchestra of Budapest. As a Jew he couldn't be a regular member, he could only work on a per diem basis, but he managed it well. He was busy almost every day.