Review of the Etz Hayim Project László Borhi First of all, I would like to say that in general terms I agree with and commend the concept which places the Hungarian Holocaust not just in an international context but also into the context of the Jewish past, Hungarian-Jewish cohabitation, Jewish assimilation in Hungary. I also commend the approach that the Hungarian Holocaust was not “waiting to happen” was not coded into Hungarian [or for that matter, European] history. I also highly commend the notion that the victims, and even other contemporaries must be given a voice, a point emphasized by Saul Friedlander. I fully agree with the notion that a bottom-up approach, the stories ordinary people have the capacity engage a young [and maybe not so young] audience the most. First, I will give some general remarks, then I will turn to a detailed analysis in a chronological order, section by section. My appraisal will be one of an historian, and will focus on problems rather than strengths, which I emphasize should not be read as meaning that I have fundamental problems with the material. In the second section of the review, I have highlighted some specific problems including factual errors which will need to be corrected.
General comments. First. Further thought is needed regarding the international context. What is to be included? Should it be broadened to include more major developments in international politics such as the Anschluss, or the Munich Conference or military events, war developments such as German defeats and victories? Developments concerning the Grand Alliance: Atlantic Charter, the large conferences, Teheran, Yalta Potsdam? I have no doubt that at least the German invasion of the Soviet Union has a place in the exhibit if for nothing else, its significance for the unfolding of the Final Solution. Should Anti-Semitic aspects of the domestic politics of regional states such as Poland or Romania, Slovakia be referred to? Should we mention that the first deportations were authorized in Bratislava? What about the European context of the Holocaust? On this point I am pretty sure that more needs to be included at least in the chronologies: the escalation of anti-Jewish policies by the German leadership, introduction of anti-Semitic measure in Germany and the 1