Sámuel (Samu) Zárai (Zerkowitz)

As a young man, Samuel Zerkovitz moved to Budapest where he first worked for Gustav Mahler as his private secretary in the Budapest opera. He is said to have composed -- while still in his youth -- the first Hungarian ballet (which went on to have 155 performances at the Budapest Opera House).

In 1894, "Samu Zerkovitz, clerk", is seen living at the same address as his father, Jonas Zerkovitz. Samuel later changed his surname to Zarai and became a journalist. After several years, he went into business and became quite prominent. He was a recipient of the Kossuth Order. Following World War II, he and his second wife moved to Israel to join his son, Yohanan. Samuel Zarai is buried in cemetery Givat Shahul in Jerusalem.