The Jews of Szekesfehervar & Its Environs

The Jews of Szekesfehervar & Its Environs
(Székesfehérvár, Hungary)

47°12' / 18°25'

Translation of
Z'chor-Emelkezz-Remember Yehdei Szekesfehervar V'Hasviva

By: Dr. Eliezer Even (Koves) & Bemjamin Ravid

Published in Jerusalem, 1997

Our sincere appreciation to Yad Vashem
for the submission of the necrology for placement on the JewishGen web site.

This is a translation from: Z'chor-Emelkezz-Remember Yehdei Szekesfehervar V'Hasviva,
The Jews of Szekesfehervar & Its Environs, Dr. Eliezer Even (Koves) & Bemjamin Ravid
Jerusalem: Shem Publishers (Lanczos), 1997 (Y)

Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: Szekesfehervar

This material is made available by JewishGen, Inc. and the Yizkor Book Project for the purpose of
fulfilling our mission of disseminating information about the Holocaust and destroyed Jewish communities.
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JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material for verification.
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Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.

Translated by Yocheved Klausner

Introduction	7
History of the Székesfehérvár Jews	9
From the beginning to Lovansberény	11
The Lovansberény community	15
Székesfehérvár	19
Székesfehérvár at the turn of the 20^th century	25
The effects of First World War	28
The Székesfehérvár Jews between the two World Wars	32
The increasing pressure of the 1930s	34
After passing the laws against Jews	39
The German occupation and its results	44
After World War Two	55
Bibliography	58

Appendices
The neolog (reform) synagogue in Székesfehérvár	64
The orthodox synagogue in Székesfehérvár	65
Excerpts from the Székesfehérvár community Quarterly	66
The budget of the Székesfehérvár community in 1937	68
The Congress of the Jewish communities in Székesfehérvár (from the Newspaper of the Hungarian Jews)	71
Minutes of the Chevra Kadisha of the orthodox community, 30 March 1931	73
The executive members of the Chevra Kadisha of the orthodox community in Székesfehérvár	77
Minutes of the last meeting of the Chevra Kadisha of the orthodox community in Székesfehérvár, 7 March 1944 (12 days before the Germans occupied Hungary)	78

The Fejér County	81
Maps	82
The Jewish communities in Fejérmegye [Fejér County]	83
Numerical data on the communities in the county	85
Aba, Bicske	86
Ercsi-érd	87
Dunapentele, Alap. Kápolnésnyék	88
Mór	89
Sárbogárd	90
Sources	92

Education and Zionism	93
The Goldsiher Ignac Jewish elementary School in Székesfehérvár	95
Zionism in Székesfehérvár	101
From Fall 1943 until the “outing” of the group in May 1944	104
Zionst agricultural training near Enying	107
Zionist youth training in Bodajk	108

Appendices
Photographs of the school and Neolog synagogue, and data about the school at its 50^th anniversary (since its foundation in 1889)	110
Article by the principal of the Bátory József school on its 50^th anniversary	112
Article by the teacher Weizs Lajos on the development of the religious studies	118
End-of-year Diploma ans half-year Diploma of a student in 1939	121
Partial survey of the 1910-1911 school year	123
Statistical data of the 1910-1911 school year	126
Scholarships	127
Partial report on the 1895-1896 school year	129
Article in the press about a celebration in the Jewish School	132
Photograph of the Jewish school in Székesfehérvár; in the background the synagogue	133
Graduation photograph of the 4^th grade 1932-33	134
Photograph of the kindergarten children, mid 30^th	135
Photograph of the Köves family teachers in the Jewish School, with their son; The Hagana Colony Balatonboglár	136
Three members of the Hanoar Hazioni in the Herend summer colony; Members helping with the harvest, 1933	137
Balatonboglár winter Colony 12.12. 1943; Founding meeting of Maccabi, Hashomer Hatza'ir 1941	138

Figures	139
Hirschler Pál - chief rabbi	141
Mermelstein Mór - rabbi	146
Natonek József - rabbi	148
Löwy Károly	150
Szegö Miklós	154
Goldziher Ignác	156
Hevesy György	159
Lánczos Kornél	161
Vidor (Avidor) Lászl	166

The Holocaust
Saving 4 young people with the help of Hano'ar Hazioni movement	171
Summary of Kemenes (Deutsch) Magda's testimony	176
Summary of Kalmár Andor's testimony	182
Auschwitz diary, testimony of Kiss László (Seregéles	186
Diary of a student in Auschwitz - Kádár György	191
“They were five”	194

List of Martyrs	201
Introduction	202
Photograph of the “Memorial Tent” and the list of martyrs	203
Photograph of the Memorial plaque of the town rabbis, on one of the walls	204
Székesfehérvár	205
Sárbogárd	220
Sárosd, Etyek	222
Igar, Káloz, Rácalmás	223
Iváncsa, Kajászószentpéter, Alcsút-Tabajd, Baracska, Csákvár	224
Csór, Lepseny, Mór	225
Sárkeresztúr	226
Kápolnásnyék	227
Gádony, Alap, Cece	228
Felcsút, Bicske	229
Martonváásr	231
Seregéles	232

After the Holocaust	233
Epilogue - The years after World War II	235

Appendices
People who returned to Judaism after the Holocaust holding a prayer service in Hebrew and Hungarian	239
A Catholic Church document releasing a woman who requested to return to Judaism	240
A call by rabbi Komlós to the community members to donate money for acquiring 100 chairs for the prayer hall	241
Fragments from a diary on the activity of a Talmud Torah pupil in the 50s	244

Foreign Language Section
History (Hungarian)	5
History (English)	69

List of Martyrs – Fejér County (alphabetically ordered)

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