Review
The 3rd publication of the „Szülőföldünk Honismereti Egyesület” (Homeland Society) and the Gyula Bedécs Society of Győr, Győr-Csorna, 2024, supported by the Jewish Roots in Győr Public Benefit Foundation and Mazsihisz.
Available in Hungarian only.
In her book, published on the eightieth anniversary of the Holocaust, Ágnes Aszt, an archaeologist and museologist from the town of Csorna, reconstructs the life of the local Jewish community, which once made up ten percent of the population. The idea to write the book was random: the Jewish Community of Moson organized an exhibition of János Kass’s etchings entitled “Jewish Holidays.” Ms. Aszt thought it would be worthwhile to bring the exhibition to Csorna and combine it with an exposition of the history of the local Jewish community. The book is the result of several years of research.
Ágnes Aszt graduated in archaeology and museology from the Faculty of Humanities, Eötvös Loránd University in 2000. After graduation, she started her career at the Hanság Museum in Mosonmagyaróvár. Her work has been highlighted by the creation of a new permanent local history exhibition, the establishment of the Szili Castle Museum and the organisation of the exhibition “Life – The History of the Jews of Csorna”. Currently, she is heading the Integrated Community and Service Dept. of the Municipality of Kisbajcs. Ágnes Aszt has published fifty-three works, including three independent volumes.
For her research, the author used records from the Csorna Museum, documents from the Sopron Archives, Yad Vashem, and documents from the Arolsen Archives, which are the worldwide archives of victims and survivors of National Socialism in Germany. She also used photographs, documents, and oral testimonies provided by individuals. With these, she gave faces to the many forgotten people.
The book begins with a chapter on the history of Hungarian Jewry from a legal perspective. Jewish relics date back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries, and Jews arrived in the Carpathian Basin during the so-called Conquest. From the Middle Ages onward, they were sometimes discriminated against and persecuted, sometimes privileged and protected until the so-called Reconciliation in 1867. Although they became equal to the majority society under the law, anti-Semitic sentiment did not disappear. Unlike other minorities in the Monarchy, who proclaimed their independent identity, the Jewish people considered themselves Hungarian citizens of the Israelite faith. During WWI, Jewish patriots made the same sacrifices as Christian citizens and experienced the same terror under the Soviet Republic. Then came the anti-Jewish laws of the 1930s: exclusion, marginalization, and finally, deportation to death camps and labor battalions. Many of those who survived the Holocaust emigrated; only a fraction remained in the country. The history of the Jews of Csorna reflects the events that took place throughout the country.
The year 1853, the year of the foundation of the Csorna Jewish Community, is a recurring date in the section “The History of the Csorna Jewry” but also throughout the entire book. In the first third of the 1800s, Israelites comprised only one percent of the population, but by the end of the century this number was already around ten percent. Jews took their share in the local economic life. Their numbers remained more or less stable until the 1940s, then dramatically dropped as a consequence of the Shoah and remained low after the war. Many of the survivors emigrated or left illegally in 1956.
“Jewish Sacrifice of Csorna in the Great War”: Jewish organizations explicitly supported their patriotic duty in WW1. Of the seventy-two Jewish men from Csorna who enlisted, seventeen were killed in battle. The local Jewish community supported the army not only by providing soldiers but also by financial contributions. Despite this, it was poorly remembered, and anti-Semitic actions were committed, such as vandalizing the memorial plaque to the fallen.
“The Framework of Religious Life in Csorna: The Synagogue’s Yard” recounts the history of the Orthodox synagogue and the stories of its rabbis and other notable community members. The school had two classes and was attended by both Orthodox and Neolog children.
The chapter “Jewish Community Life in Csorna” reveals the importance of charity, training, and cultural clubs in the daily life of the community. The oldest, largest, and most active of these was, of course, the Chevra Kadisha. The “Penny Society” (Filléregylet), which supported war orphans after WW1, developed into a nationally important association. Anti-Semitic regulations ruined these flourishing associations.
“House of Life: The Csorna Jewish Cemetery” explores funeral customs, gravestone design, and the texts and symbols inscribed on them.
The “Jewish Memorial and Plaques of the City” begins with the funerary rites as well. As a shocking example of latent Jew-hatred, the memorial plaque for the WWII martyrs, inaugurated in 1990, bears the name of only one of the city’s 655 Jewish victims. After much controversy and despite several anti-Semitic voices, the country’s first public Holocaust memorial, which includes the names of all those who were murdered, was unveiled in the city center in 2005.
“Selection of Jewish Remains” describes the fate of various everyday objects and Judaica. Many items went missing during the ghettoization. They were stolen, “requisitioned,” or given to others by their original owners. What remained is now in private or museum hands.
“Family Stories” makes up about half of the book and is perhaps the most valuable part. Through family reconstructions, Ágnes Aszt ensures that their memories do not fade into oblivion. She uses civil registrations, certificates, other documents, as well as oral accounts. The Jews of Csorna were primarily merchants or engaged in various intellectual occupations. Almost all of these families experienced the same tragedy. Most of their members were sent to death camps or subjected to atrocities during labor service. Very few survived. They gradually left their hometowns. Some made Aliyah or migrated west after the war; others relocated within the country. The Gestetner family, who have lived in Csorna since the 18th century, are often mentioned in the book. David, the inventor of the stencil machine, is one of the most famous citizens of Csorna, although he left the country in the early 20th century and eventually settled in London. The author specifically discusses those who converted to Christianity due to the persecution of Jews. Unfortunately, this did not save them from being murdered.
Museologist Ágnes Aszt is to be credited for her in-depth processing of the multifaceted source material. Thanks to her work, the memory of Csorna’s Jewish heritage will not disappear.
“Life: The History of the Jews of Csorna” can be obtained for a 2,500 HUF donation directly from the Homeland Society via this email address: kovacs.balazs.gyor@gmail.com. The review was originally published in the newsletter of the „Szülőföldünk Honismereti Egyesület”, and is a shortened version.
Written and translated by György Polgár
