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Guy Miron, “History,
Remembrance, and a ‘Useful Past’ in the Public Thought of Hungarian
Jewry, 1938–1939
The years
1938-1939 witnessed a decline in the civil status of Hungarian
Jewry. The pact between Hungary and Nazi Germany, the passage of two
discriminatory antisemitic laws, and the increased strength of the
Hungarian Arrow Cross Party posed a serious threat to the Jews in
Hungary. The article examines how Jewish public figures confronted
the diminution of their civic rights by raising historic symbols and
figures. The article opens with a discussion of historical figures
in the Hungarian political discourse in general. It then reviews the
Jews’ attitude towards fundamental historical questions regarding
their past place in Hungary, particularly through the prism of their
discourse before and after the passage of the two anti-Jewish laws,
and regarding the 900th anniversary celebrations commemorating the
death of Hungary’s first king, Saint Stephen. In its discussion and
analysis, the article relates to various sectors of Hungarian Jewry
– Neologists, Orthodox, and Zionists. |
