March 14, 1944: Josef Winninger, a member of the Budapest branch of the Abwehr, informs Kasztner of the impending German occupation of Hungary.

March 16, 1944: Telegram from Chaim Barlas, head of the Istanbul branch of the Vaada, is received by the Vaada in Budapest informing them that a ship in Constanta was ready to pick up and sail with 600 holders of Palestine immigration certificates.

March 19, 1944: German forces occupy Hungary; Hermann A. Krumey and Dieter Wisliceny, two leading members of the Eichmann-Sonderkommando, appear at the headquarters of the Jewish community and order Laszlo Banoczi to convene the leaders of the Hungarian Jewish community for a meeting the following morning.

March 20, 1944: Krumey and Wisliceny issue instructions to the national leaders of Hungarian Jewry, ordering them to form a Jewish Council (Judenrat) that would exercise jurisdiction over all the Jews in the country.

March 21, 1944: An eight-member Jewish Council is established under the leadership of Samu Stern, the President of the Jewish Community of Pest.

Note: the Council included: Dr. Erno Boda, Dr. Erno Peto, Dr. Karoly Wilhelm, Dr. Samu Csobadi, Samu Kahan-Frankl, Fulop Freudiger; and Dr. Nison Kahan

Freudiger meets privately with Wisliceny at the Astoria Hotel to seek the release of his brother Samuel from arrest.

March 23, 1944: The Jewish Council issues its first appeal to the Jews of Hungary urging calm and cooperation with official orders.

March 28, 1944: Krumey meets with the leaders of the Budapest and of other major Jewish communities (what turned out to be the last national meeting of the historic Jewish community of Hungary) – urging to maintain a calm and cooperative attitude among the Jewish masses.