JEWISH PAST AND PRESENCE IN GYŐR CAPTURED
BY JÓZSEF GLÜCK AND ISTVÁN NAGY
Győr, June 2024
Here we are presenting a bilingual book published in 2024 under the above title by our foundation.
The book’s introduction
This little collection of snapshots shows the city of Győr, mostly with a Jewish aspect, by means of old and new shots. The publication was released by the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Roots in Győr Public Benefit Foundation in honour of the World Reunion organised by the Foundation to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the deportation of Győr Jews in 1944; a Reunion hopefully attended by several generations of descendants of Holocaust survivors and interested members of the local public.
The unique feature of the compilation is the editorial concept, which in almost all cases juxtaposes old Győr photographs with contemporary ones taken at the same sites. This approach perhaps gives a good sense of how the past stretches into the present and the future. A journey through time spanning more than 100 years.
There is also a limit to the mirror editing technique, because anything that does not have an old image of the Jewish presence in the city’s life back in the old days, whether it is linked to a street billboard or a prominent public building, is by definition excluded from this selection.
In addition to establishing or renewing personal contacts, the guests attending the World Reunion will have the opportunity to get to know or re-acquaint themselves with Győr’s sights, including the historical legacy of the city’s Jewish past, through a commemorative conference and a concert, a plaque unveiling and the Holocaust commemoration. This book helps them discover their roots.
The publication has been compiled by István Nagy, a master photographer from Győr, using his own collection of old photos, as well as present-day counterparts of the old images. Without his generous and outstanding contribution, this small mirror collection would not have been possible.
Thanks are due to the director of the Dr. Kovács Pál Library and Community Space in Győr, Dr Sándor Horváth Domonkos, who granted permission for the free use of the József Glück photo collection available at the institute.
I wish all readers a good browsing and a pleasant reading.
Dr Péter Krausz
Chair, Board of Trustees, Jewish Roots in Győr Public Benefit Foundation
The cover page
The book