Susanne "Zsuzsi" Jalnos

Raised in a Jewish family by parents Kornelia and Josef Weisz, with her brother Miklos and sister Anna, Susanne’s early years were filled with faith and love. The family ran two butcher shops in their town and farmed nearby land, building a life rooted in tradition.

The Nazi invasion of Hungary in 1944 upended this world. Forced into ghettos and later deported to Auschwitz, Susanne, at 17, lost her parents to the gas chambers. Pleading with Josef Mengele(the angel of death) to let her sister remain with her parents, Mengele kicked her sisters behind and said she was strong enough to work (this saved Anna’s life).

Transferred to a German ammunition factory, Susanne endured brutal labor and starvation. In 1945, she survived a grueling death march, liberated by the American Army on April 1.

Susanne married Stephan Jalnos in 1949 in Kaunitz, Germany, and they settled in San Antonio, Texas. In 1958, she reunited with her brother and sister, a joyful moment that affirmed her belief in hope. Yet tragedy struck again when Stephan died of cancer in 1965, leaving Susanne a single mother to four sons. With the same resolve that saw her through the Holocaust, she raised and educated her sons to adulthood.

Deeply rooted in San Antonio’s Jewish community, Susanne spoke to schools and groups, often with Anna, sharing their tragic past. She recorded her testimony for the Shoah Foundation and supported the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio. “I cannot forgive for six million lost lives,” she said, “but I will not live with hate.” Her life embodied this, choosing love over bitterness.

In her later years, Susanne remained a beacon of wisdom and warmth, delighting in her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She instilled in them kindness, perseverance, and Jewish tradition.

Susanne is preceded in death by her husband, Stephan, brother Miklos, and sister Anna. She is survived by her sons Joseph (Sheryl), Robert (Eileen), Carl (Rhonda), and Marvin; grandchildren Steven (Mallory), Brandon (Emily), Jeremy (Layseen), Rebecca (Luis), and Mathew; five great-grandchildren, with one on the way and many nieces and nephews. The family thanks her caregivers who often listened to stories of her past life.

A memorial service will be held Tuesday, August 26, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. at Agudas Achim Memorial Gardens on Austin Highway followed by a meal of consolation and Shiva service at 4:00 p.m. at Congregation Agudas Achim, 16550 Huebner Rd. Pallbearers are her grandsons, nephews Jim Rado and Robert Weiss, and friends Jerome Cohen and Les Hoffman.

Donations in her memory are requested to the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio.

Click here to view the service: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LG29LgddnA8TJrwq88ZOahNGSB5EaFDK/view