Peter Cukor: Before the Silver Cord Snapped Peter Cukor was born into a Jewish family in rural Hungary in 1936. In his early years he was directly involved in the tumultuous events of the mid-20th Century: Nazi persecution of the Jews, Communist oppression and liberation during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The author came to the United States as a refugee but became Americanized rapidly. Most of his friends and the younger members of his family are unfamiliar with the difficult experiences of his early years. "Before the Silver Cord is Snapped" is a memoir consisting of a string chronologically arranged vignettes assembled by the author for the enlightenment and edification of his family, friends and all those interested in the history of the Holocaust.