Expert Opinion on the House of Fates - Éc Hájjim Design Concept
The electronic copy of the design concept is 202 pages long and after an introduction delineating goals and tasks, it is divided into two main sections. One section consists of the “timetable” describing the post-1867 history of Hungarian Jews/Jews living in Hungary and another section of similar proportions dealing with the actual assignment of space and arrangements within the scope and provisions of the already existing building’s facilities.
I fully subscribe to the principles and goals of the House of Fates - Éc Hájjim exhibition as it is described in the introduction. I do not wish to pay “lip service” to it and unnecessarily increase the volume of my assessment. However, I take issue with the shortcomings of the present design concept. In my opinion there is a need for further elaboration of content even for some elements of the developed materials and certain sections should be more strongly highlighted (see below).
In the “timetable”, although it is the most well-developed component of the design concept, in several places the wording of the text and occasionally the factual statements need supplementation. This is especially true because the English descriptions are required to be quite brief and the viewing/visiting time (50-90-180 minutes) is also extremely short and this calls for tremendous accuracy and meticulousness. After the visit there is unlikely to be an opportunity for follow-up corrections, not to mention that visitors will probably have varying degrees of working knowledge on the topic and inducing an emotional commitment and convincing them - which is supposed to be the main purpose of the exhibition - is not unproblematic. (And on the topic of being unproblematic, the design concept does not deal with removing physical barriers, there is no mention of equipment facilitating the visually or physically handicapped, such as audioequipment, Braille signs, special routes and lifts, etc).
So far, I managed to find 41 observations (see below) regarding the submitted design concept but each new reading raises new concerns. I highlighted these issues in italics and they should be resolved as soon as possible in the course of actualising the design proposal. The materials should be finalised during the regular (hopefully in-person) meetings of the advisory and executory/implementory board
In my opinion, the second part of the design concept, the visualisation, has more serious problems than the first - as I have already highlighted above. This exhibition design layout is very roughly drawn up and individual sections are still to be worked out in detail. It is not clear for example, which ones of the approximately 100 interviews will be part of the permanent exhibition, which ones will be available at the thematic galleries and which ones will be archived for later research. (There is no mention of the 15 hundred interviews of the Shoah foundation available to use and free to access in Hungary - at the Rabbinical seminary for example. Several of these interviews relate to Hungarian topics regarding the period between 1918 and 1956). Another example: the Communities Memorial has an excellent design concept but it would be a good idea to have the names of these hundreds of communities (most of which were destroyed) listed on a soundtrack loop just like at the children’s memorial at Yad Vashem. (The visitor will obviously not wait to listen to the entire list but the reading along with a light flashing for each community will create a stronger emotional impact.)
Regarding forced labour service, there is no mention of this scheme being introduced in other Central and Eastern European states as well. These countries, like Romania and Bulgaria,
preserved a semblance of independence, and also introduced forced labour service at the same time, or in some cases earlier than in Hungary. Slovakia did the same although to a more limited extent. Hungary’s unique feature lies in the deployment of some forced labourers in combat zones. Yet, it should also be highlighted that this only affected a minority of forced labourers and after the tragedy of the 2nd Hungarian Army, forced labourer deployments were further cut back. Most of the losses were not due to inhumane treatment but due to combat operations and especially due to Soviet captivity. The second stage of the period of forced labour service - lasting from the point of German occupation to the failed armistice attempt - was downright life-saving for Jewish men. Jewish men were not taken to combat zones and unlike women, children and the elderly, they were not deported either. (The example of Imre Reviczky and his associates is to be presented.) But the design concept completely fails to mention the third stage of forced labour service. After the Arrow Cross coup d'etat approximately 80,000 forced labourers still in the country were gradually handed over to the Germans and during the final days of the war they were herded towards the west where they suffered disproportionate losses, especially near the border and in Austria. This period should have its own display gallery.
The design concept does not explain the difference, even in a subsection or a subparagraph, between Jews of the re-annexed areas and Jews of the core area of Hungary after her reduction at the Treaty of Trianon. This is another shortcoming. Unlike Budapest Jews, Jews living in re-annexed areas (Slovakia, Carpathian Ruthenia, Transylvania and the southern territories) suffered the greatest losses - just like Jews of the countryside. And these areas had a greatest proportion of Orthodox and Hasidic Jews among the general Jewish population. These areas were especially rich in Orthodox and Zionist life/movements during the period between the two world wars, but Jews living in these areas also played a crucial role in preserving the national spirit of minority Hungarians, for example in Košice, Cluj-Napoca and Subotica. This (should) definitely deserve[s] its own exhibition area.
The design concept is correct in allocating some space to present the life of city Jews who mostly belonged to the Neolog faction and Jews living in the countryside who were mostly Orthodox. However, the documentation does not contain much in the way of tangible artifacts for this purpose. Fortunately, there are two spectacular wedding film recordings that could be an excellent way of presenting these two ways of life. One film is the opening scene of the permanent exhibition at Páva street - a short film of an upper-class bourgeois wedding in Budapest, and the other is a few minutes long recording of the 1933 wedding of of the only daughter of Hájjim Eliézer Sapira/Lázár Spira who was the chief Hasidic rabbi of Mukachevo at the time. This is freely available on Youtube (courtesy of Yad Vashem) and it also documents Jewish life beyond Hungary’s borders.
Three individuals symbolise Jewish-Hungarian symbiosis in the design concept. These are Alfréd Hajós, Manfréd Weiss and Samu Hazai; the latter is completely unknown now, and even in his own day he wasn’t a particularly prominent figure outside his own circles. He converted quite early on and had no particular Jewish identity. It is certainly possible to find much more influential individuals who worked in the fields of arts and natural sciences. Although due to his self-abandonment, I am not a great fan of Miklós Radnóti (I mean of the man, not of the poet!) but for a wider audience his tragic fate will create a greater impact.
It would be expedient to have two separate display galleries for showcasing what Jews born in Hungary or Jews living/working in Hungary gave to the world and what the world to this
day considers their contribution. One display could be about the two Hungarian Jews most famous around the world: creator of political Zionism Tivadar Herzl and Hatam Sofer, who established Neo-Orthodoxy. (By the way, the Satmar school of Judaism should receive a mention when we talk about Orthodoxy.) The other display should commemorate Nobel laureates and other Jewish scientists of Hungarian origin. János Neumann and Ede Teller had a strong Jewish identity and without them our modern world would be a very different place. Jewish artists and filmmakers, etc should also be presented in this display gallery. There are several individuals who could be included: e.g. Arthur Koestler and Tony Curtis - foreign visitors will be able to relate to their names and contributions.
International relations - both Jewish and non-Jewish - should be highlighted more strongly than it is presently planned and it should always follow a direction from the international to the specific Hungarian reaction. Anschluss, which is left out of the design concept, is a defining factor even on the stage of world politics and it obtains special significance if we consider that by annexing Austria, the Third Reich became an immediate neighbour of Hungary and in 1938! many contemporary observers were of the opinion that Hungary would be occupied next.) And we cannot neglect the effects of Austria’s occupation on the passing of the first anti-Jewish law. Similarly, the T-4 “euthanasia program” should be mentioned; this was a prelude to the Nazi genocide, and camp medical experiments should not be left out either as there were hundreds of Hungarians who were victims of these experiment in Auschwitz alone.
The visitors may get the impression that on January 18, 1945 or with the Buda break-out attempt in February (When presenting everyday Arrow Cross terror, the massacres in Maros and Alma street should be highlighted more strongly than shooting people into the Danube), the horrors Hungarian Jews had to suffer finally came to an end. But in the territories still under Arrow Cross control the war continues and Jews (especially forced labourers) are still persecuted and murdered there. (This will provide another excellent opportunity for increasing emotional impact by presentations on the “gas chamber” of Kőszeg, the Balf memorial and the Rechnitz massacre.)
It would be very important to decide how objectively (as humans, is it even possible to be objective?) the exhibition wishes to present the reservations and grievances of the host society. (Or is it going to be left for the cabinet and archive to be set up on the remaining 70%?) These reservations or grievances could be overrepresentation of Jews in the country’s economy and culture up to the First World War and the introduction of the anti-Jewish laws, Jews’ disproportionately large role in politics in 1918/1919 and the involvement of individuals of Jewish descent in the government turning into a Communist regime between 1945 and 1956 and to some extent later also. This is crucial because an objective presentation and explanation can neutralise anti-semitic misconceptions and propaganda still existing today.
In my opinion, presenting the porajmos (Romani genocide) in a later section of the exhibition is inappropriate. According to our current understanding, there were fewer than 5000 Gypsy victims, which is much fewer than victims of Allied bombing raids in Hungary for example. And we cannot talk about economic dispossession either since Gypsies did not have significant wealth and aside from a very few exceptions they played no remarkable role in the country. But crucially also, we are not aware of any government policy with the objective of eliminating any particular section of the Gypsy people, and especially no plan for annihilating the entire Gypsy population. If we are to talk about victims, we should make more of an effort to highlight the losses of the surrounding Hungarian society forced to traverse an inexorable trajectory. We can start
with the tragedy of the 2nd Hungarian Army, continue with the devastations of the war, the ransacking of the country by her invaders and last but not least by málenkij robot closing this chapter of history. Many Jews who were just recently liberated were taken away for málenkij robot and suffered the consequences. We should, of course, mention the individual trials and sufferings of Gypsies but not disproportionately. Certainly, the tragedy of Jews should also be reflected in a twofold way: Jews were the victims of racial theory, casualties of Endlösung and participants of Hungarian history. (This latter role makes it very important to emphasise the dual minority status of Jews in areas seceded from and later re-annexed to Hungary between the two world wars and how these Jews played an important role in preserving Hungarian identity.)
The exhibition should portray the role, from 1933 onwards, played by different Jewish congregations and organisations in protecting foreign (German, Austrian, Slovakian and Polish) Jews who fled to Hungary. This is a demonstration of Jewish solidarity. (This section could make a mention of how the fourth Belzer rebbe was rescued and smuggled into Hungary and describe the rescue missions of Vaada Aid and Rescue Committee between 1942 and 1944.)
For invoking an emotional impact, besides audiovisual recollection interviews, the entire exhibition should make significant use of the extremely rich trove of recollections and memoirs that have been printed or are archived. (E.g. memoirs of Miklós Roth (not yet utilised in exhibitions) or even Fatelessness (Sorstalanság) by Imre Kertész).
The present design concept has serious shortcomings when dealing with the period after the war. Liberation is rightly called bitter-sweet as it cast a dark shadow over people from the very beginning. Take for example the treatment of forced labourers and civilians captured by the Soviets or the looting of possessions that were hidden away from the Germans only to be ransacked by the Soviets, the raping of newly liberated Jewish women, abducting some of the newly liberated population for málenkij robot or the sabotaging of property restitutions starting from 1945 in which Soviet occupying forces played an active role at the start. But 1945/46 was just a short period which could be regarded as the immediate aftermath of the war. Post-war antisemitic acts - including blood libel - (these should be presented much more elaborately) already usher in the next period of almost 46 years. The new wave of post-war antisemitism was partly a legacy of the past, partly a consequence of an extremely rudimentary and essentially abandoned restitution/reparation policy, and partly due to the active role of the Communist party evident from the very beginning, as it appeared for example in the Kielce pogrom in Poland on the international stage.
In my opinion, events of the period between 1946 and 1990 deserve a much more detailed presentation with the support of an appropriate table of demographics. This should start with the great post-war dilemma: to stay or to go. In post-war Hungary - the first time in her historyZionism and Zionist worldviews became stronger. Previously, Hungarian Jews felt patriotism for the Hungarian society they believed to be assimilated into, but this worldview suffered a severe blow. Those who decided to stay had to deal with the defining issue of how to relate to the Communist regime. Some, to leave the past behind forever, became confirmed leftists (as did many others before them since the beginning of the century) and after 1945 managed to arrive at a new worldview “promising deliverance” from Jewishness. But they paid the price of forcibly giving up their middle-class mentality and maybe even their religious roots. They forcefully tried to make themselves and others believe that the future belongs to the Communists. Others joined the Communist party in pursuit of career opportunities (which the new regime did actually offer)
thus deepening the chasm between themselves and the majority of Hungarians. But most Jews just wanted to live; the religious according to the old traditions and the Neolog lower middleclasses according to their own customs. And all this they tried to do under a coercive and dictatorial Communist regime that wanted to control and transform the whole of society. Jews living in the cities suffered disproportionately from these changes (nationalisation, forced relocation, imposed Jewish institutional unity, permanent monitoring) due to their particular place in society. It was the intelligentsia of Jewish descent who first turned against Communist illusions and started demanding social reform (Jews in opposition movements). Despite some antisemitic incidents (that deserve a mention), 1956 provided a new opportunity for more healthy integration of Jews in Hungary, (Jews in the revolution). But after the revolution was crushed, all such illusions vanished and nothing remained but to leave the country (Orthodox communities in the countryside almost all left the country). The figures for Jewish emigration were much higher than the national average. Another option was withdrawing into the asylum of private life which led to further secularisation, a neglect of religious observances, an increase in mixed marriages and a demographic drop due to the prevailing hedonistic attitudes of “child or car” that resulted in the “modern” abandoning of the ancient principle of “be fruitful and multiply.” (This should also be displayed in a statistical table.) Yet there were opposing trends as well: small circles of religious and community life in Budapest defying the forcefully standardised community leadership, a crucial role of Sándor Scheiber’s kiddushes and a Zionist awakening among Jewish youth (it is not by accident that some of them became the first post-1990 activists, who laid the foundations of a Jewish Renaissance.)
And with that, we have arrived at the present which is at least 30 years old - much longer than the period between the two world wars. Unless we want to sing the praises of an irretrievable golden age (which was never actually completely “golden”), feel nostalgic for it and try to bring it back or unless we want to write off the whole exercise with a cataclysmic martyrology, then everything will converge on our present day. What is the meaning and content of the much talkedabout Jewish Renaissance - in general in a world turning upside down again and specifically in Hungary. (Of course, what I mentioned earlier about the Hungarian-Jewish dichotomy, those fears are still valid today so we have to be extra careful.) I do not believe the details of ruptures of current Hungarian Jewish life are any concern of a lay visitor. But it is a realistic assumption that the visitor will have some idea of the present situation - either from personal experience or from some other source - or he may be fettered by his own prejudices. Therefore, in my opinion, there should definitely be some kind of message confronting him. We have to be careful that this confronting message is not one-sided; the final section of the exhibition should present all Hungarian trends, as well as their accomplishments and diversity. (Current centres of Jewish life like Israel, the United States of America and Western Europe should also be presented.) Notwithstanding the above, with hidden advertising - as is well known in PR circles - visitors can be influenced and animated. This is possible with the tools of emotional impact [music, art, literature, feature films and documentaries, etc] employing the whole range of technical resources the 21st century offers - as we make use of these throughout the entirety of the exhibition.
In my opinion the House of Fates - Éc Hájjim exhibition still needs much work to bring it to fruition. Above I only mentioned a few points but now and in the future also I am happy to participate in the project offering my previous theoretical and practical experiences.
Specific observations, supplementations and corrections regarding the English captions and descriptions of the “timetable.”
1/ The Golden Age of the Jews in the Austro-Hungarian Empire refers to the development between 1867, when legal equality was granted to [individual] Jews, and the outbreak of WWI in 1914. This [flourishing] period covers the creation of the dual monarchy and a novel, rarely experienced economic boom, and thriving Jewish communal and religious life with the development of diverse and sometimes conflicting forms of Jewish identity. The Hungarian Jews played a key role in the rapid development of Hungary in industry, [economy] arts, sports etc. Jewish communities increased rapidly both in urban and rural areas until World War I, in which the Jews took part bravely and proudly under the King’s flag
2/ Where are the captions for the pictures: what will be the chronological order for the pictures (the first picture for example shows Charles IV of Hungary visiting Bratislava). Which pictures show Hungarian and which ones depict foreign events, where are the connecting texts between events, for example the Dreyfuss affair (breaking his sword) and the Tiszaeszlár affair. Additionally, the Dreyfuss affair happened more than a decade after the Tiszaeszlár affair. How is the visitor supposed to know this, especially if he only spends 50 minutes at the museum and his attention is divided between visual and audio information.
3/ 1.1. Text content: [After the Compromise/Ausgleich] Hungary[ian Kingdom] became an equal partner with Austria[n Empire] in 1867. Progressive leaders eager to build a modern new state granted full civil and political rights to Jews. Although laws couldn’t eliminate antisemitism, most Jews embraced opportunities to integrate as Hungarian citizens
4/ MODERNITY AND INTEGRATION Late 1800’S, early 1900’s Quote: „Only two things paid off; the heroism of our lads, and the performance of [the Jewish industrialist, Baron] Manfred Weiss.” Count Istvan Tisza, Prime Minister, 1917 Text content: The modern era allowed Jews to make important contributions to Hungarian modernization, in economy, [natural] science, medicine, sports and culture,[reverse order] often reinforcing a strong Hungarian identity among many sectors of Jewish society. While there were incidents of conversion, most modern Jews believed they could integrate Magyarization and Judaism. Orthodox Jews were highly reserved about integration, but made symbolic steps to demonstrate loyalty to Hungary.
5/ 1.4. The rapid integration of Jews into society, and age-old religious tensions often led to periodic social manifestations of the modern political phenomenon of Jew hatred, called antisemitism, a term coined by a German publicist, Wilhelm Marr in 1881. Eventually while some elements [the majority] of Hungary’s political elite supported Jewish integration, those who suffered from modernization often opposed it.
6/ 1.6. Text content: The false accusation of 15 [rural orthodox] Jews killing a Christian girl, [young maid] rekindled the false myth of ritual murder and scapegoating typical of the Middle Ages. Despite the acquittal of the defendants, the case resulted in widespread violence and the establishment of the Hungarian Antisemitic Party
7/ 2.1. the picture that allocated to this text depicts Tibor Szamuely, not Béla Kun
Text content: The defeat of WWI, brings an era of chaos and revolutions to Europe and Hungary, notably, the 133-day reign of the Hungarian Soviet Republic dictatorship. The era of the “Red
Terror” brought widespread violence against both Jews and non-Jews] [reverse order. Led by Bela Kun, many viewed the communist dictatorship as a “Jewish conspiracy.” During the ”White Terror” which followed, hundreds of Jews [a lot of Jews - there were less than 800 victims altogether]] throughout Hungary were killed in retaliation [for the Communist Regime], in acts of violence and pogroms carried out by officers of the National Army of Miklos Horthy.
8/ 2.2. The postwar chaos and the humiliating defeat [reverse order of Germany created fertile ground for Nazism. Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf (My Struggle, 1924) detailed Nazi ideology: Humanity is composed of races, of which the “Aryans” (Germans) are “superior”. As in nature, the superior race has an obligation to “living space” (Lebensraum) at the expense of the “inferior” races. Some of the other races would serve as slaves, and some “parasite races” (e.g. Jews, Gypsies) must be “removed.
9/2.3. Following the chaos after the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the National Assembly seeks stability by electing [the leader of the National Army] Miklos Horthy as Regent and Commander-in-chief of Hungary. Over the next two decades the regime focused on the return of confiscated historical Hungarian territories, and the maintenance of old order. This resulted in the empowerment of the feudalistic elites at the expense of the workers, peasants, and ethnic minorities, and limitations on the legal rights of Hungarian Jewry.
10/ 2.6. 1921–1931: The so-called “Bethlen Era” and the “Silver Age,” a period of political moderation under Prime Minister Count Istvan Bethlen. He sought in Hungary’s interest a consolidation with the Jewish citizens, this included the repeal of Hungary’s anti-Jewish laws. The era was characterized by having two representatives – a neologue and an orthodox rabbi – from the Jewish community in the [restored] Upper Chamber of the Parliament
11/ 2.7 There should be a picture here depicting unemployment in Germany or landless farm labourers in Hungary to illustrate the situation that became a breeding ground for Nazism and Hungarian National Socialist parties.
12/ 2,8. Text content: Nazi tactics used democratic apparatus to destroy democracy and gain unlimited power. According to Nazi doctrine the ideal government has a centralized leader who expresses the will of the people, race, and God. After years of unrest and economic crisis, in January 1933, German President von Hindenburg appointed Hitler as Chancellor, although the Nazis were a [yet in]minority. An “emergency rule” gave him almost unlimited powers. In July 1933 all political parties besides the Nazis were outlawed. After the death of President Hindenburg, in August 1934, Hitler appointed himself Fuhrer (dictator) and Commander of the Army.
13/ Ont he shelf: 6. September 22 [as far as I know, it is the 29th of September], 1933: Jews are banned from journalism, theater, music, art, literature, and broadcasting in order to eradicate Jewish influence on German society.
13. September 7, 1935: All Jewish property is taxed by 25 percent. [I have not heard this before, but it does not follow the chronological order anyway]
16. April 21, 1938: Jews are eliminated from Germany’s economy; Jewish assets are “legally” seized in a process termed “Aryanization.” [I do not know of any such decree enacted on this date]
Text content: Upon ascension to power in January 1933, Nazis applied their racial antisemitic ideology into governmental and legal policy for the first time in [modern] European history. From 1935 anti-Jewish policy turned to even more explicit racism with the passing of the Nuremberg Laws. Nazis sought the removal of Jews from Germany by making Jewish living conditions
unbearable and forcing their “voluntary” emigration. Often, after a flurry of antisemitic laws, conditions stabilized briefly, giving a false sense of optimism.
14/ 2.11, Text content: July 6–14, 1938: International Conference at Évian-les-Bains, France, called by U.S. President Roosevelt to discuss the “Refugee Problem”, a euphemism for Jews. Thirty-two nations [32 states, a couple of observer countries and 24 aid organisations took part (Great-Britain sent representatives only on the condition that Palestine is not discussed)] attending are not asked to change any laws. To assuage British concerns, Palestine is not on the agenda. The results are highly limited and incommensurate with the growing need of Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria.
15/1.12, November 9–10, 1938: Pogroms, known as Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. Throughout Germany and Austria, some 1,400 synagogues [ More than 260 Jewish temples (including the great synagogue of Berlin), dozens of congregation halls and buildings as well as hundreds of cemeteries are wrecked and/or are completely destroyed. 30,000 people are arrested. About 7,500 Jewish businesses and workshops are attacked, in Austria almost all synagogues and prayer halls (that is more than 100, in Vienna alone 42 buildings including 25 synagogues) are destroyed. Only the Stadttempel in Vienna is not set on fire due to its location next to other buildings in the city center. 27 people are murdered, most of the remaining shops are looted and closed. More than 6,547 Austrian Jews are arrested during the Kristallnacht. ] are attacked, burnt and desecrated, Jewish stores are looted. 30,000 Jewish men, ages 16–60, are arrested and sent to internment camps. Some 100 Jews are murdered. Violence became Nazi governmental policy endangering Jewish lives. German Jews desperately seek any foreign haven to escape
16/ 1,13 On the shelf picture - at this point even in Germany there were no yellow stars and raised hands!
The second law, passed on May 4,[actually May 5,] 1939, determines Jews as a race (unlike the earlier law) restricting Jewish participation in certain professions to 6%; Earlier on March 11, 1939: The Act of National Defense is passed for all Hungarian citizens and ethnic groups including Romani (Gypsies) and Communists, [unfortunate wording] and ultimately leads to the discriminatory and brutal labor service for Jews.
17/ 3.1. on the shelf
September 21, 1939: Reinhard Heydrich, SS security chief, orders the establishment of Jewish Councils ( Judenraete), consisting of 24 [between 12-24] Jewish men to be personally responsible for implementing German orders. All Jewish communities in Poland and with populations of less than 500 are to be dissolved.
18/2.4. The Labor Service system was originally legally established on March 11, 1939, for elements “dangerous to national security” to be included in the army for slave labor. Ultimately, most of the consist of Jews. Denied weapons and uniforms, over 55,000 Jews die as a result of brutal treatment by their Hungarian commanders, wartime casualties [, Soviet captivity] and inhumane living conditions. The drafting of Jewish men has farreaching ramifications on Jewish families.
19/ In 1941, Hungary occupies parts of [former] Yugoslavia adding some 14,000 Hungarianspeaking Jews. Under the cover of the “retaliation against Serb partisans’’, the Hungarian gendarmerie and army brutally kill over 3,000 civilians, (2,550 Serbs and some 700 Jews) in NoviSad (Újvidék) and surrounding villages. The cruel massacre becomes public and causes a major
outcry by opposition members of parliament, led primarily by Endre Bajcsy-Zsilinszky, resulting in trials against 15 high-ranking army officers in December 1943.
20/ 3.6. ON THE SHELF: Underground Jewish Rescue Activities Among prominent Jewish underground leaders are: Dr. Rezső/Rudolph (Israel) Kasztner, Joel Brandt and Ottó Komoly –President of the Zionist federation; Orthodox leaders include Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum (the Satmar Rebbe), the Munkacs Rebbe, [?] and Pinchas Freudiger –head of the Budapest Orthodox community. Freudiger, a wealthy businessman, and member of OMZSA, is involved in rescue efforts initiated by Slovakian Rabbi Weissmandl, Gisi Fleischman and their underground Working Group. The Group contacts rescue workers in Switzerland, [Turkey], Mandate Israel [Palestine] and America, who partially fund its activities. Zionist Youth organizations are extremely active in dangerous border crossings
21/ Hungary occupied gallery
The situation of Hungarian Jewry drastically changes fol - lowing Hungary’s attempts to exit the war. German forc - es occupy the country on March 19, 1944 and a new pro-German collaborating government is installed. Jews are soon subject to a number of regulations which isolate them from Hungarian society and limit their already diffi - cult living conditions. These include the compulsory wearing of a yellow star and eventually being relocated to ghettos. These ghettos were temporary con - centration points prior to their brutal deportation to their final destination. Some 437,000 [About 445,000] Jewish men, women and children were sent to AuschwitzBirkenau. The overwhelming majority were killed on arrival.
22/ 4.2. Following the smooth occupation and Eichmann’s arrival, his team reaches out to potential Hungarian counterparts. At a high-profile meeting on April 4, 1944, two secretaries of state, László Baky and László Endre with Gendarmerie liaison officer László Ferenczy, make detailed plans how to implement the quick mass deportations to the death camps, [ This was a longer process that lasted until April 22. It actually started on April 3, but the final decision to allow all Jews (except for forced labourers) to be deported was made two weeks later on April 22.] Following the smooth occupation and Eichmann’s arrival, his team reaches out to potential Hungarian counterparts. At a high-profile meeting on April 4, 1944, two secretaries of state, László Baky and László Endre with Gendarmerie liaison officer László Ferenczy, make detailed plans how to implement the quick mass deportations to the death camps, starting with swift ghettoization in April and mass deportations in May [starting with swift ghettoization in April and mass deportations in May
23/ 4.3. In April 1944 two Slovakian Jews, Alfred Wetzler and Rudolf Vrba [his name was Walter Rosenberg at the time], escape Auschwitz to reveal the atrocities to the world. Their detailed accounts of the death machine, known as the Auschwitz Protocols, are smuggled by Hungarian and Slovakian Jewish leaders to the West; members of Hungarian clergy and leaders including members of Horthy’s family. The effect of the Protocols is tremendous. Apparently, it is a key factor [one of the key factors – let’s not forget about D-Day in Normandy either] for stopping the deportations in July
24/ 4.4. Applying the experience of bribing Nazis by the Slovakian Jewish underground leaders, Rabbi Weismandl and Gisi Fleischman, the Budapest leaders of the Relief and Rescue Committee, Rezsö/Rudolf(Israel) Kasztner, Yoel/Eugen/Jenő Brand and Ottó (Nathan) Komoly, begin dangerous discussions with Eichmann in spring 1944. The goal is to supply materials by the Western allies to Germany, in exchange for saving Hungarian Jewry. Ultimately, this plan is
unsuccessful, but for a large bribe, Eichmann allows [with the permission of Heinrich Himmler] Kastner one train to Switzerland with 1685 passengers.
25/ ON THE SHELF: “Kasztner train” passengers are to pay a fee of originally 1000 USD, later 2,000 USD per person. This is partly paid by the richer passengers. Among the passengers are rabbis, Zionists, artists, journalists, scientists, former army officers as well members of Kasztner, Komoly and Samu Stern ’s family and ordinary men and women, as well as 252 children. The train surprisingly arrives at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and after several weeks of tense waiting, finally is transferred to neutral Switzerland. Rudolf/Rezső Kasztner, their savior, is later accused and tried in Israel for his controversial involvement in the direct negotiations with the Nazis as well as his personal role in putting the passenger list together. The ruling in the original case of slander, brought by Kasztner, was a humiliation for Kasztner[’”He sold his soul to the devil”] and was overturned on appeal. The 2nd verdict basically exonerated Kasztner, but not before he was shot and killed in March 1957, by a fellow Israeli.
26/ 4.5. The first stage of Hungarian authorities rounding-up Jews begins in the north-eastern section [part or region] of Hungary. This orchestrated ghettoization process is a preparation for deportations. Jews are gathered in designated narrow sections of large cities, and soon forcefully evacuated to a site outside the city where they are starved, tortured and their possessions confiscated. After a few days [ It was a multi-stage process that lasted 4-5 weeks, not a few days.] under impossible conditions they are forced into crowded cattle cars,
27/ 4.6. Despite British reluctance to recruit more paratroopers, on May 13, 1944 four Palestinian Jewish parachutists – Abba Berdichev, Reuven Dafni, Yonah Rosen, and Hannah Szenes – are dropped into [the territory of the former] Yugoslavia for clandestine missions in Hungary. Hungarian-born Szenes is [immediately] captured by Hungarian authorities and later executed in Budapest on November 7. She becomes a symbol for Jewish resilience and heroism. Her body is ultimately interned in Israel with full military honors in 1950.
28/ 4.7. On May 15, the first deportations, from Carpatho-Ruthenia, depart for Auschwitz. By July 9, the authorities deport 437,000 Jews: Some 425,000 are brutally transported in cattle cars to Auschwitz Birkenau. Approximately 15,000 Jews are deported to eastern Austria. By early July all Jews in the provinces have been deported and Budapest’s Jews [the Jews of Budapest’s suburbs] are to be deported in the final phase of the operation.
29/ After being brutally interned [ghettoised] for weeks, most still believe their deception that resettlement is for “work in the East”: Forced into crowded cattle cars, and several horrific days of travel without basic needs, results in numerous deaths. Arriving at Auschwitz-Birkenau, shocked victims are herded from trains, their valuables confiscated. Guards separate men and women, and “select” those for slave labor. Most are murdered in the gas chambers within hours.
30/ 4.23. October 6–7, 1944: Jewish Sonderkommando workers using smuggled explosives stage an uprising at Auschwitz-Birkenau. One of the four crematoria is set on fire. [( All 250 prisoners who rebelled and escaped were murdered by the guards and a further 451 fell victim to the reprisals following the rebellion although very few of them were active participants.)] Although no inmates are able to escape, the uprising is a major success in the given circumstances. On January 6, 1945, Germans hang four Jewish women in Auschwitz for having smuggled explosives used in the camp revolt.
31/ THE BUDAPEST STORY The story of Budapest Jewry is distinct. After the completion of deportations in the countryside, preparations were made for Budapest. Jews were forced to move
into designated buildings, called “Starred Houses” [would it not be better as „Houses {marked} with yellow star”] as a preliminary step for concentrating them. Changes in international climate and a heightened awareness of the mass murder, resulted in Horthy’s unexpected decision to halt deportations in early July 1944. After an unsuccessful armistice [ jump attempt] on October 15th, Horthy was forced by Germany to cede power to Szálasi’s Arrow Cross. Deportations restarted in early November from the Józsefváros Railways station (adjacent to the Museum) and major death marches [on foot] towards the western border. A central Ghetto was established early December in Pest for the remaining Jewish population, until their liberation on January 18. Also liberated were Jews sheltered in the “protected buildings” of several diplomatic missions.
32/ 4.17. On October 15, Horthy announces Hungary’s exit from the war. The news gave a brief relief for the imperiled Budapest Jews. Germany forces Horthy’s resignation and the transfer of power to the fascist [Arrow Cross members were not fascists. It is probably best to use the words anti-semite or nationalist to describe them] Arrow Cross. This results in violent anti-Jewish actions, including [at the time of siege of Budapest] the shooting of Jews into the Danube. An armed revolt in Pest, by Jewish Labor servicemen is quickly squashed. Deportations and death marches resume on October 21.
33/ Item 4.21 should be placed directly after section 4.17
34/ 5. Post war Gallery.There should be a sentence about Jews returning from foreign camps to the countryside - it is very important because their numbers are similar to those belonging to reseparated areas (Slovakia, Transylvania, Carpathian Ruthenia, southern territories) who survived the camps and after a short stay in Hungary returned to these re-separated areas. They were mostly Hungarian-speaking and their losses are mentioned among the losses of Hungarian Jews in the first sentence.
35/ 5.1. On January 27, 1945, the Soviets liberate Auschwitz-Birkenau. Germany surrenders and May 8 is declared Victory in Europe [VE] day, primarily with celebrations worldwide, except for the bittersweet experience of most Jewish survivors. Allied troops find abandoned concentration and death camps with evidence of indescribable horror. The world has a hard time digesting the reality of the Nazi death machine. Hungary, with other Eastern European countries, [during the next few years] are converted into Communist satellite states.
36/ From February 1945, the new Hungarian leadership arrests major figures of the Arrow Cross and the Horthy era, who face trial by the “People’s” Courts. Mainly led by communist functionaries operating under Russian occupation, some of the culprits are sentenced for political reasons, but many were seriously involved in the Holocaust. Some are sentenced to capital punishment, including senior officials like Döme Sztójay, Andor Jaross, László Baky, László Endre, László Ferenczy and Ferenc Szálasi.
37/ 3.4. Following liberation Jews face daunting challenges. Survivors returning home face the heartbreaking reality of loss of families, homes, and communities. Often, they encounter hostile attitudes by neighbors who have occupied their homes and possessions. In Poland, this accelerates into numerous acts of anti-Jewish violence, killing hundreds of Jews. In Kielce, on July 4, 1946, a major pogrom kills some 42 [returning] Jews [and wounded 40] , while police look on.
38/ 5.12. On October 23, 1956, a nationwide revolution breaks out against the Communist regime resulting in 2,500 Hungarian fatalities and 200,000 refugees fleeing, among them 20,000 Jews. Many orthodox. The revolution unleashes a wave of anti-Jewish incidents. By January 1957, the
new Soviet-installed government brutally suppresses opposition. After the revolution many of the reestablished [provincial] Jewish communities cease forever to exist.
39/ page 102 On the shelf
The data does not include the establishment of EMIH in 2004.
40/ MAJOR HUNGARIAN HOLOCAUST RELATED EVENTS:
Elie Wiesel should be mentioned in the section on international events. Wiesel was not born in Hungary, his cultural background was not Hungarian and he did not live in Hungary after the war. On this basis, we could mention several individuals related to historical Hungary like former French president Sarkozy and New York mayor La Guardia.
41/ page 126 lower level
Incorrect arrangement
4.1 Outbreak of WWII 4.2a Forced Labor/Army Life 4.2b Forced Labor (Late Period) [ this thematic panel is incorrectly placed, it would only be justifiable if it referred to the period from Voronezh to the German occupation, but then we will need a 4.2c which portrays forced labourers from the time of German occupation to May 8, 1945, this period saw the greatest losses as well] 4.3 Civilian Life in War Years