Two historical issues of the official Jewish newspaper of Hungarian Jewry MAGAYAR ZSIDOK LAPJA - "The Hungarian Jewish Newspaper" that were published only a month after the occupation of Hungary by the Nazis and call on the Jews in the name of the chairman of the Jewish community, to fulfill the obligation of wearing the yellow patch on the garment, and to fulfill the differentiation instructions, and the work. Issue dated April 13, 1944, and an issue issued a week later April 20, 1944. Hungarian.
1. In the issue of April 13, 1944, the editorial reflects well the tension and the terrible situation Hungarian Jewry found itself in. Titled: "To work and not to give up". the article calls on all Jews to work and help the country's war effort, and to draw as little attention as possible. "It is the duty of every Jew to behave modestly and quietly, and not to provoke any negative reactions, do not come across any person even by accident, do not walk around the streets without an important and necessary reason, do your work and return to your families at the end of the work..." The internal articles deal with encouraging the Jews to fulfill their obligations to the community by paying taxes, maintaining religious and charitable institutions, and "to comply with all the demands and orders of the Central Council of Hungarian Jews...".
On page 3 there is an important section entitled: "The Yellow Patch" which explains the obligation and the regulations regarding the wearing of the yellow patch: "We call on everyone to wear the yellow patch as required, not only on the street and in public places, but also at work and in shops, that is, wherever the public is.. . The yellow patch must be worn on the upper garment. The police are constantly checking the streets, restaurants, cafes and shops... The patch must be sewn on the garment tightly, because a loose patch is not considered...".
In addition, the newspaper appeals to the Jewish public with a request not to come to the "Jewish Information Ministry" for no reason because the office is unable to cope with the heavy load of people, there are news about the changing mail routes, and more. There is also a page with quotes from Jewish sources dealing with strengthening during times of suffering such as " Everything G-d does is all for the good", "The one who trusts in G-d, grace will bless him", an article on the Passover Haggadah, details on funeral dates for those killed by the German bombs, and more. 8 pages. 32 cm. Complete issue.
2. The issue of April 20, 1944 is written in a similar spirit. On the cover page, the editorial deals with the obligation to comply with the regulations and the law and not to try to evade it, because this may cost human lives, there is information about the way to obtain food, information about exit permits, and here also there is a section about the obligation to wear the yellow patch on the clothing and the details about the punishment for Jews which will not meet this charge. It is also detailed that those who want to leave the borders must be equipped with special permits that can only be obtained at the police station, and a call to reduce the load at the Jewish information centers, and a special notice on behalf of the rabbi's office, that due to the load of Jews seeking an official permit stating that they are not Jews (for the purpose of free border crossing) The rabbinate is forced to assign a line by number, and those who arrive without a number will not be able to enter the office. Also in this issue is an article under the title "from the tradition literature" in which statements from Chaza"l and Jewish sources were cited. 8 pages. 32 cm. complete issue.
The two issues before us came out at the height of the emergency period that Hungarian Jewry faced during World War II. In the first years of the War, the situation of the Hungarian Jews was better than the situation of the Jews in the German occupation territories (Hungary was not occupied by the Germans until the beginning of 1944), although their rights were denied. On March 19, 1944, the German army invaded Hungary. The Jews were immediately marked with a yellow patch, their property was confiscated, and steps were taken to separate them from the general population in order to exterminate them. The Jews were ordered to move to the ghettos that were established in all the cities of Hungary. By the middle of May 1944, about half a million Jews from the cities in Hungary were concentrated in ghettos. The murder of about half a million Hungarian Jews was mostly carried out within about two months, between May 15 and July 9, 1944, during which time more than 430,000 Jews were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and murdered.
Both sheets are in good condition.
