Rare Publication on Buda Jewry - of the Early Jewish Communities in Hungary - Only Edition

Rare Publication on Buda Jewry - of the Early Jewish Communities in Hungary - Only Edition

A zsidok tortenete Budan : vazlat. A Budai Izraelita Hitkozseg megbizasabol - The history of the Jews in Buda - From the early communities in Hungarian Jewry, by Fulop Grunvald and the Budai Izraelita Hitközség. Budapest 1938 - Only edition. Rare. Hungarian.

A rare publication on the Buda Jewry - "The village situated by the Danube and the hot springs" - One of the oldest points of Jewish settlement in Hungary, where Jews settled already in the 3rd century. An extensive overview of the existence of the Jewish community in the Middle Ages through ancient inscriptions and historical documents. Includes numerous photos of important historical findings testifying to the existence of a vibrant Jewish community in Buda - among them an ancient inscription mentioning the Jewish synagogue in 1307, the oldest gravestone found in Hungary from 1278, and more.

Buda was the first community where Jews received a kind of autonomy, and the agreements with the Jews of Buda served as a source for agreements between the authorities and Jews in other communities. The author describes the structure of the Jewish quarter in the city, details about Jews who were close to the royalty, Rabbi Nathan of Buda - one of the first rabbis mentioned in 14th century documents, the tax breaks granted to the Jews of Buda, the protection granted to the Jews of Buda - for example, they were exempt from the requirement to wear the conical hats imposed in all cities of the German kingdom, the city under Turkish rule in the 16th century, the customs of the Jews of Buda, the antisemitism in the city in the 18th and 19th centuries, the renovation of the main synagogue in the late 19th century, the establishment of cultural institutions in the city in the 1920s - the elementary school, youth cultural group, community library, scout troop, and more. The author concludes in 1938: "Buda stands firmly today and is destined to occupy the five worthy places among the Jews of Hungary as the largest town of Hungarian Jewry and second largest in terms of population".

Rare. Only one copy listed in the global library catalog world cat at the Harvard University library in the United States.

24 p. Open tears on edges of cover. Otherwise good condition.