New Exhibition, opened on 22 March 2026, the Perfect Way to Learn about the Story of Győr’s Modern Jewish Community
“Galut implies a compulsion, whereas diaspora can also be a choice,” begins András Zima, director of the Holocaust Memorial Center (HDKE) and associate professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary – University of Jewish Studies, his explanation of the first part of the title, and continues: “Paths, because every region has its own characteristics. Jews have always adapted to the places where they settled.” The aim was to convey the different paths of Jewishness. The local Upper Hungarian (Felvidék) Ashkenazi world differs significantly from the Polissia (Galician) Jewish life that was characteristic of Eastern Hungary. “We focused on worldviews and changes in social structures,” adds the exhibition’s curator, Norbert Glässer, an associate professor at the University of Szeged. “For centuries, Judaism was characterized by messianic expectations. The Enlightenment and the premodern era brought radical change with their natural-law perspective and efforts to improve society.” According to Glässer, Jews were expelled periodically, tolerated at times, but always separated from the rest of urban society. This remained the case until the end of the 19th century when, alongside non-Jews, they became one of the driving forces behind the industrial and cultural modernization of the city of Győr. The exhibition, set up in the superbly renovated basement of the Menház, presents this Jewish bourgeois way of life, showing the interconnections that existed in economic, social, lifestyle, and interactive arenas. The Mautners, the Perls, the Königs, Schmidls and the Spitzers are just a few of the many well-known Jewish families. They were merchants, artisans, and landowners who played an important role in Győr’s economic and cultural life. This life was cut tragically short by the Shoah, and it never recovered. Yet the story does not end here because the final chamber of the small museum is devoted to the survivors and their descendants’ search for a new path. Some returned, while others found their fortune within the country or across the wider world. Still, they never severed their ties to Győr. Empty display cases await further donations of artifacts and documents.
The Menház (Shelter) was originally established to care for the elderly and provide food for children from poor families. However, after the Holocaust, it could no longer fulfil this purpose because the community that had once filled the place with life had been tragically decimated. In the decades that followed, the building’s condition steadily deteriorated. In 2012, when the city put the building up for sale, the Jewish community purchased it for 66 million forints. Today, it houses a modest local Jewish history exhibit and a kindergarten, and from now on the new exhibition.
“I’ve been waiting for two years to welcome visitors to the ‘On the Paths of the Galut’ exhibition,” said Andor Grósz, president of the Association of Hungarian Jewish Communities and a Győr native, in his keynote speech at the opening. He noted that the renovation of the long-neglected basement was sorely needed, and now it houses an exhibition offering new insights and an encounter with the history of Győr’s Jewish community, its members, and their fates. “The exhibition showcases our shared history, not only in terms of destruction, but also in terms of creativity and development,” Grósz explained.
According to Péter Sztáray, the State Secretary of Foreign Economic and Foreign Affairs, unfortunately only a few people remained to carry on the rich traditions of Győr’s Jewish community after the Holocaust. This is why he believes it is important for as many visitors as possible to see the new exhibition.
Mayor Bence Pintér emphasized that Győr’s current economic strength and cultural richness must be largely owed to its Jewish ancestors, who helped build the city over generations. Győr’s citizens today should be proud of this fact, as the city’s current successes are built upon these foundations.
The exhibition was a long-held dream, but work on it only began about two years ago. Research materials were gathered from a variety of sources, including the assets of the late Chief Rabbi István Domán, the extensive collection of the local historian and Ph.D. student Tünde Csendes, and documents held privately. The Jewish Roots in Győr Public Charity Foundation provided significant support too. Norbert Glässer structured the exhibition, and Heonlab Ltd. designed the visual presentation. As visitors walk through the five impressive rooms, they encounter brief explanatory texts, numerous audio and visual effects, and several interactive stations. Those seeking more information can scan QR codes to access the HDKE website and find additional details.
Zima is thinking beyond the exhibition itself as well. “With Norbert, we could imagine including it in a heritage tourism route. Vienna, Kőszeg, and Sopron are not far, and Gönyű is an important Holocaust memorial site.” Glässer hopes the exhibition will be incorporated into local education as well, for example, by connecting it to Holocaust Remembrance Day in schools. This aligns with Mayor Bence Pintér’s vision. “We would like to incorporate the exhibition into the city’s rich cultural offerings. In addition, I intend to bring this excellent opportunity to the attention of school principals, he shared with the Jewish Roots Győr reporter. But he went much further than that. He explained that the city has launched an investigation into former property matters that came into the hands of the local government during historical upheavals.
Currently, the On the Paths of the Galut exhibition is only open to visitors by appointment with the Győr Jewish Community. Hopefully, it will be permanently accessible at the Menház in the future.
By György Polgár