Budapest ghetto liberation commemorated in Great Synagogue

Budapest, January 18 (MTI) – A commemoration was held on Monday in the Dohany Street Synagogue to mark the 71th anniversary of the liberation of the Budapest ghetto.

“The yellow star was removed from coats 71 years ago, but they have left a trace, memory and impact that is today’s reality,” Robert Frohlich, Hungary’s chief rabbi, told the commemoration.

The ghetto in central Budapest did not come about “out of nowhere”; several laws and decrees preceded it over 25 years, he noted. The actual creation of the ghetto began in 1920 with the passing of the “numerus clausus” act, which differentiated between Jews and non-Jews — all Hungarian citizens — the chief rabbi said. The act and other anti-Jewish laws forced Jews out of more and more careers and ultimately “life itself,” said Frohlich. Never will the Holocaust be forgotten, he added.

The commemoration ended with lighting candles and placing pebbles in memory of the victims.

The ghetto was set up in November, 1944, and remained until the liberation of Budapest in January, 1945 by the Soviet Army during the Battle of Budapest.

The map says: “70-80 thousand people were gathered in the Budapest ghetto on 0.3 km². After the liberation, more than 3 thousand corpses were found.” The red points mark the gates.

Photos: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters