When Antisemitic Ideas Meet Jewish Laws: the Case of Hungary
- PDF / 655,723 Bytes
- 21 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 55 Downloads / 165 Views
When Antisemitic Ideas Meet Jewish Laws: the Case of Hungary Jehuda Hartman1 Received: 24 July 2019 / Accepted: 23 July 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract This paper explores Hungarian Orthodox reactions to the Numerus Clausus law (1920) and to the Third Jewish Law (1941). Both laws complied with Orthodox religious views. The first law limited the number of Jewish students in higher secular education institutions, and the second forbade intermarriage. These cases reflect dilemmas of Hungarian Orthodoxy trying to live in two worlds, modern and traditional, and regarding itself as part of the Magyar nation. Orthodoxy held on to the old traditions, which gradually lost their grip on the Jewish community; the new legislations, however, could push their distanced brothers back to the traditional sphere. It was therefore tempting to agree with the laws or, at least, not to raise any objection. Orthodoxy was hardly affected by the Numerus Clausus law, as very few Orthodox students attended universities. The Orthodox press, however, led a lengthy campaign against it, whereas the Orthodox leadership chose to remain silent. The rival Orthodox and Neolog (Reform) streams engaged in bitter disputes but reacted to the marriage ban in similar ways—both expressed mixed feelings. Keywords Hungary · Antisemitism · Orthodox · Neolog
Introduction “When Professor Méhely Wants the Same Thing as the Torah”1 was the title of an editorial in the Zsidó Ujság, the weekly of the Hungarian Orthodox community.2 “How should we react when Professor Méhely’s goals are similar to the laws of the 1 28 February 1930. Amikor Méhely professzor ugyanazt akarja mint a Tóra (When Professor Méhely wants the same thing as the Torah), Zsidó Ujság 2 The Zsidó Ujság, the main Orthodox paper after World War I (WWI), appeared in Budapest from 1925 to 1939. In 1939, the authorities limited the scope of the paper’s expression and changed its name to Orthodox Zsidó Ujság. The last issue is dated March 20, 1944, the day following the German invasion and the beginning of the Hungarian Holocaust. All references to these two newspapers are to be understood as referring to content in Hungarian.
* Jehuda Hartman [email protected] 1
3 Lechi Street Apt. 30, Rehovot 7621703, Israel
13
Vol.:(0123456789)
J. Hartman
Torah?” the author asked. The article, published in 1930, referred to Lajos Méhely, a noted zoology professor in Budapest who held antisemitic views and was one of the main proponents of racial ideas in Hungary. The weekly responded to an article published by Méhely in the Pester Lloyd,3 in which he advocated preserving the purity of the Magyar race. He claimed that Jewish blood would severely damage the Magyar race, and therefore mixed marriages should be prohibited. Since religious Jewish law (Halacha) strictly forbids marriages between Jews and non-Jews, the Zsidó Ujság posed an intriguing dilemma: should an Orthodox Jew support the proposal because it coincides with Jewish law or oppose it since it is motivated by hate? After all, if Mé
Data Loading...
