Although Jews have lived in Hungary since the first century,
the community underwent significant expansion in the 11th century,
with the immigration of Jews from Bohemia, Moravia, and Germany. Over time,
Hungary’s Jewish population has experienced periods of prosperity, but also
periods of persecution and even expulsion.
In the 18th century, the country’s Jewish
population more than tripled as Jews immigrated from Moravia and Poland. After
centuries of restrictions on Jewish settlement and activity, Jews in this
region gained emancipation in 1867, under Austro-Hungarian rule. From this
point onwards, the Jews of Hungary became engaged members of Hungarian society.
This process resulted in the modernization of Hungary’s traditionally Orthodox
Jewish community and the emergence of Neolog (Progressive) and secular groups.
JDC Begins Working in Hungary
JDC began working in Hungary in the aftermath of World War
I, aiding Jews who had been ravaged by hunger and disease. We provided funds
to feed the needy and to maintain hospitals and health care centers. By 1932,
when the community regained its financial independence, JDC was able to cease
its operations.
The Holocaust
When Hungary allied itself with Germany in 1933, it expanded
its territory and its Jewish population, which increased to 800,000. With the
rise of the fascist Arrow Cross Party in 1938, Hungary’s Jews became the target
of virulent anti-Jewish legislation. JDC responded by reopening its office in
Budapest and funding Zionist movements and other groups concerned with meeting
critical Jewish needs.
In 1944,
the Nazis occupied Hungary and insisted on the mass deportation of all
Hungarian Jews. JDC provided funding to Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg and
to the Swiss Consulate, thus enabling them to obtain false papers and create
safe houses in Budapest to protect Jews slated for deportation. Out of
Hungary's pre-war population of 800,000 Jews, a total of 600,000 were deported,
including the local JDC representative. Of those deported, only 50,000 Jews
survived.
JDC during the Communist Regime
After World War II, JDC established an extensive program in
Hungary. We provided food, clothing, and medications; we opened loan kassas
(loan cooperatives) to assist businesses; and we helped to reestablish the
Jewish hospital and the community’s old age homes. JDC remained in Hungary and
continued to fund these activities until 1953, when the Communist government
forced it to close its office. During the darkest days of the Communist era,
JDC was able to provide aid to Hungarian Jews in an unofficial capacity,
working through the Swiss Jewish Community in conjunction with the local
Hungarian Jewish Community Welfare Board.
In 1980, an agreement was reached which enabled JDC to
resume direct operations in Hungary. Rejuvenating the community’s social
welfare programs was our first priority, but we also provided support for the
maintenance of religious and educational institutions.
Today
Since the fall of Communism, Jewish life in Hungary has
flourished. There is now a vast array of Jewish social and educational
institutions in Budapest, which is home to the majority of Hungary’s Jews. JDC
continues to play an important role in reaching out to this large Jewish
population and working to meet the changing needs of this enduring Jewish
community.
2005
|
