The Holocaust in Budapest

The Holocaust in Budapest represents one of the darkest chapters in the city’s long and rich Jewish history. Budapest’s Jewish community, once one of the largest and most vibrant in Europe, faced unimaginable persecution, suffering, and near-total destruction during World War II. This chapter provides a comprehensive look at the Jewish experience in Budapest during the Holocaust, explores key sites that bear witness to this tragic period, and highlights the stories of survival, resistance, and remembrance that continue to shape the legacy of Budapest’s Jewish community.

A Comprehensive Look at Budapest’s Jewish Community During WWII

Before the outbreak of World War II, Budapest’s Jewish community was among the most integrated and prosperous in Europe. Jews played a vital role in the city’s commercial, cultural, and intellectual life, contributing significantly to Hungary’s finance, medicine, arts, and sciences development. By the late 1930s, approximately 200,000 Jews lived in Budapest, making it the largest Jewish community in Central Europe. Despite rising anti-Semitism throughout Europe, Jews in Budapest were relatively protected until Hungary’s alignment with Nazi Germany during the war.

1. The Pre-War Era and the First Anti-Jewish Laws: Hungary’s entry into World War II on the side of the Axis powers marked the beginning of a period of increasing restrictions and persecution for the country’s Jewish population. The Hungarian government, under Prime Minister Pál Teleki and later Miklós Kállay, enacted a series of anti-Jewish laws starting in 1938, aimed at limiting the economic and social participation of Jews. These laws were inspired by Germany’s Nuremberg Laws and targeted Jewish-owned businesses, professions, and public life.

   While the early laws were primarily economic in nature, they paved the way for more severe measures as Hungary deepened its collaboration with Nazi Germany. Despite these laws, however, Hungary remained a relatively safe haven for Jews compared to other Axis-aligned countries until March 1944, when everything changed with the German occupation of Hungary.

2. German Occupation and the Holocaust in Hungary: On March 19, 1944, Nazi Germany invaded Hungary in an operation known as Operation Margarethe, fearing that Hungary was seeking to exit the war and switch sides. The occupation marked the beginning of the Holocaust in Hungary and, with it, the mass deportation and extermination of Hungary’s Jews. Under the leadership of Adolf Eichmann, the Nazis, with the collaboration of the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party and local officials, immediately began implementing the Final Solution in Hungary.

   Within a few months, between May and July 1944, nearly 440,000 Jews from rural Hungary were deported to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp, where the vast majority were murdered upon arrival. The deportations were carried out with chilling speed, facilitated by the Hungarian authorities, and overseen by Eichmann’s SS units.

   In Budapest, where the Jewish population was concentrated, the Nazis initially delayed mass deportations, possibly due to diplomatic pressure from neutral countries and the fact that Budapest remained an essential operational hub. However, life for Jews in the capital rapidly deteriorated. Jews were forced to wear the yellow star of David, marking them for public identification, and many were rounded up for forced labor battalions or sent to transit camps.

3. The Budapest Ghetto and Massacres: By late 1944, the Arrow Cross Party, a pro-Nazi Hungarian fascist group led by Ferenc Szálasi, had seized control of Hungary. Under Szálasi’s regime, the situation for Jews in Budapest became dire. In November 1944, the Arrow Cross established the Budapest Ghetto, a confined area in the city’s Jewish Quarter where over 70,000 Jews were forced to live in squalid, overcrowded conditions. Starvation, disease, and cold claimed thousands of lives within the ghetto.

   During this period, the Arrow Cross also carried out brutal mass shootings along the banks of the Danube River, where Jews were executed and their bodies thrown into the river. The Shoes on the Danube memorial commemorates these atrocities today on the Pest side of the riverbank. The memorial consists of 60 pairs of iron shoes, representing the victims who were forced to remove their shoes before being shot and drowned in the river.

   The Budapest Ghetto remained in place until the liberation of the city by Soviet forces in January 1945. By that time, tens of thousands of Budapest Jews had been killed, and many more had been deported or died of disease and starvation.

4. Jewish Resistance and International Efforts: Despite the overwhelming persecution, there were acts of Jewish resistance and international efforts to save Budapest’s Jews. One of the most famous figures of the Holocaust in Budapest was Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who arrived in Budapest in July 1944 as part of a mission to rescue Hungarian Jews. With support from the Swedish government and the War Refugee Board in the United States, Wallenberg issued thousands of protective passports, known as Schutz-Pass, to Jewish families. These passports granted Jews Swedish protection and prevented their deportation.

   Wallenberg also established safe houses throughout Budapest, where Jews could seek refuge under the protection of the Swedish embassy. His efforts, along with those of other diplomats from neutral countries, including Carl Lutz (Switzerland), Giorgio Perlasca (Italy), and Ángel Sanz-Briz (Spain), are credited with saving tens of thousands of Jewish lives. Many of these diplomats risked their own lives to protect Jews from deportation and execution.

   In addition to diplomatic efforts, Jewish underground resistance groups emerged in Budapest. These groups, including the Halutz Resistance and Hashomer Hatzair, engaged in sabotage, organized escape routes, and provided false papers to Jews attempting to flee Nazi persecution. Despite facing incredible danger, these resistance fighters demonstrated remarkable courage despite seemingly insurmountable odds.

Key Sites Related to the Holocaust and Jewish Resistance

Several key sites in Budapest bear witness to the horrors of the Holocaust and the acts of resistance that helped save many Jewish lives. These memorials, museums, and landmarks are central to remembering the atrocities and ensuring that the stories of victims and survivors are not forgotten.

1. The Dohány Street Synagogue and the Budapest Ghetto: The Dohány Street Synagogue, the largest synagogue in Europe, became a central point during the Holocaust, as it stood within the boundaries of the Budapest Ghetto. The synagogue’s courtyard was used as a burial ground for many Jews who died in the ghetto, and today, it remains a solemn site of remembrance.

   The Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Park, located behind the synagogue, is home to the Tree of Life memorial, designed by artist Imre Varga. The metal sculpture resembles a weeping willow, with each leaf inscribed with the name of a Holocaust victim, symbolizing both mourning and remembrance.

2. The Shoes on the Danube: One of Budapest’s most moving Holocaust memorials is the Shoes on the Danube, located along the banks of the Danube River. The memorial honors the thousands of Jews who were shot and thrown into the river by the Arrow Cross in the winter of 1944-45. The minimalist installation, created by sculptors Gyula Pauer and Can Togay, consists of iron shoes left on the riverbank, symbolizing the final moments of the victims before they were executed.

3. The House of Terror Museum: The House of Terror Museum, located on Andrássy Avenue, documents the atrocities committed by both the Nazi and communist regimes in Hungary. The museum includes exhibits on the Arrow Cross and the Holocaust, offering a comprehensive look at how the Nazis and their collaborators persecuted Hungary’s Jews during the war. The museum building itself once served as the headquarters of the Arrow Cross Party.

4. Carl Lutz Memorial: The Carl Lutz Memorial, located near the entrance to the old Budapest Ghetto, commemorates the efforts of Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz, who, like Raoul Wallenberg, saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust by issuing protective documents and organizing safe houses. The statue shows Lutz lifting a Jew out of the ruins of the ghetto, symbolizing his heroic efforts to protect the lives of Budapest’s Jews.

5. Wallenberg Memorials: Several memorials across Budapest honor the legacy of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. In addition to the memorial park behind the Dohány Street Synagogue, a statue of Wallenberg can be found near the Hungarian Parliament, reminding visitors of his selfless efforts to protect Jews from deportation. Wallenberg’s fate after his disappearance at the hands of the Soviets in 1945 remains unknown, making his story even more tragic yet heroic.

Stories of Survival and Remembrance

The Holocaust in Budapest is marked not only by tragedy but also by extraordinary stories of survival, resistance, and courage. These stories are essential to understanding the full scope of the Holocaust and ensuring that the memories of those who lived through it continue to be honored.

1. Survivor Testimonies: The personal testimonies of Holocaust survivors are some of the most powerful records of the horrors experienced during the war. Many survivors from Budapest, including those who lived through the ghetto, forced labor camps, and deportations, have shared their stories in books, documentaries, and public speeches. Survivors like Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and author of Night, and Imre Kertész, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his novels about the Holocaust, have become global voices for Holocaust remembrance.

   Local survivors have also contributed to oral history projects, such as those organized by the Holocaust Memorial Center in Budapest, which aims to preserve the stories of Hungarian Jews for future generations. These testimonies serve as powerful reminders of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable suffering.

2. Righteous Among the Nations: Many non-Jews risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust, and their efforts have been recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations. Figures like Raoul Wallenberg, Carl Lutz, Giorgio Perlasca, and others played critical roles in saving thousands of Jews in Budapest. Their actions are remembered in public ceremonies and memorials across the city, and their stories are taught as part of Holocaust education in schools.

3. Holocaust Memorial Day and Commemorations: Holocaust remembrance is a central part of Jewish and Hungarian public life. Each year, Budapest holds events to mark Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom HaShoah) and the anniversary of the liberation of the Budapest Ghetto. These events often include candle-lighting ceremonies, prayers at the Dohány Street Synagogue, and speeches by survivors and public figures. The goal of these commemorations is to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are not forgotten and to honor the memory of those who perished.

Conclusion

The Holocaust in Budapest left an indelible mark on the city’s Jewish community, which lost the vast majority of its members during the brutal deportations and mass killings of 1944-45. Yet, amidst this dark period, acts of bravery, resistance, and survival shine as beacons of hope. The stories of Raoul Wallenberg, Carl Lutz, and countless others who risked everything to save Jewish lives remind us that even in the face of evil, there is always the possibility of goodness.

Today, Budapest’s Jewish community continues to honor the memory of those who were lost through the preservation of Holocaust sites, survivor testimonies, and public commemorations. The many memorials and museums scattered throughout the city ensure that the history of the Holocaust in Budapest is not forgotten, and they stand as a powerful testament to the resilience of the Jewish people.

Budapest's Jewish Heritage Tour: A Deep Dive into the Jewish Quarter, Synagogues, and Cultural Landmarks

More on This Guide:

Chapter 1: Introduction to Budapest’s Jewish Heritage
Chapter 2: The Jewish Quarter: History and Transformation
Chapter 3: The Great Synagogue: A Monument of Jewish Faith
Chapter 4: The Hungarian Jewish Museum and Holocaust Memorial
Chapter 5: Rumbach Street Synagogue: Revival of a Historic Gem
Chapter 6: Kazinczy Street Synagogue: The Heart of Orthodox Judaism
Chapter 7: Jewish Cemeteries: Resting Places of History
Chapter 8: Jewish Cultural and Educational Institutions
Chapter 9: Jewish Cuisine in the Quarter
Chapter 10: The Holocaust in Budapest
Chapter 11: Jewish Life in Budapest Today
Chapter 12: Practical Tips for Touring Budapest’s Jewish Heritage
Chapter 13: Conclusion: Reflections on Jewish Heritage in Budapest