Jews at the crossroads: tradition and accommodation during the golden age of the Hungarian nobility, 1729-1878 9789637326660

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| Jews at the Crossroads

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Jews at the Crossroads Tradition and Accommodation during the Golden Age of the Hungarian Nobility, 1729-1878

Howard N. Lupovitch

- ‘CEU PRESS Central European University Press

Budapest New York

©2007 by Howard N. Lupovitch Published in 2007 by Central European University Press

An imprint of the Central European University Share Company Nador utca 11, H-1051 Budapest, Hungary Tek +36-1-327-3138 or 327-3000 Fax: +36-1-327-3183 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.ceupress.com

400 West 59th Street, New York NY 10019, USA Tel: +1-212-547-6932 Fax: +1-646-557-2416 E-mail: [email protected] All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the permission of the Publisher. ISBN 963 7326 66 9 978 963 7326 66 0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lupovitch, Howard N. Jews at the crossroads : tradition and accommodation during the golden age of the Hungarian nobility, 1729-1878 / Howard N. Lupovitch. -- 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 9637326669 (978-963-7326-66-0) 1. Jews--Hungary--Miskolc--History--18th century. 2. Jews--Hungary-Miskolc--History--19th century. 3. Jews--Hungary--Miskolc--Politics and government--18th century. 4. Jews--Hungary--Miskolc--Politics and sovernment--19th century. 5. Jews--Emancipation--Hungary--Miskole. 6. Jewish leadership--Hungary--Miskolc--History. 7. Miskole (Hungary)-Ethnic relations. I. Title. DS135.H92M575 2006 943.9'9--dc22 2006020003

Printed tn Hungary by Akaprint Kft., Budapest

For Marni

‘Tn medio tutissimus ibis” (Ovid)

«AVW TVS 059 IN DNTP ATI 0D? “Py CI NWI 2D? VOT 7D...” “Everything shall be according to the view of the communal elders, the customs of old, or the needs of the day.” (Rabbenu Gershom ben Meir)

Contents

Al Note on Sources ix Last of Abbreviations Xt

List of Tables xii Preface XV Introduction Rethinking the Rhythms of Emancipation and 1 Enhghtenment Chapter 1 Ezghteenth Century Pastorale: The Allures and

Uncertainties of the Hungarian Frontier : 2/7

Borsod County 57

Chapter 2 Crown, Town, Magnate, and Jew: Corporate Politecs in

Chapter 3 Ihe Hevra Kadisha and the Ruse of the Family Syndicate — TT Chapter 4 Jews in the Time of Cholera: The Epidemic of 1831 and Its

Aftermath 105

Chapter 5 The Kehilla and the Business of Rekgeon 133 Chapter 6 Educational Reform and Retgious Identity 161 Chapter 7 Sxéchenys’s Soup at Szemere’s Table: Miskolc Jewry and the

Era of Reform, 1836-1848 189

Chapter 8 Revolution by Proxy: Jews in the Hinterland 217

Chapter 9 Coming of Age, 1851-1878 233

Conclusion 1878 and Beyond: Two Chambers of One Heart 261 |

Index 273

Appendix ‘Words of Peace and Truth”: A Call for Unity by

Moses Ezekiel Fischmann 269

Al Note on Sources: The Protocols of Miskole

The main sources used in this re-examination of the history of M1skolc Jewry are the communal protocols of the Miskolc Jewish community. These protocols are contained in ten separate documents that cover the periods 1812-1860. The first, Ha-Protokol He-Hadash [The New Protocols] is the protocol of the Jewish Burial Society and cov-

ers the period 1812-1842. It 1s written in Hebrew and YiddishDeutsch. It is 141 folios long. Individual entries are numbered and often but not always dated. When a date 1s included, it 1s not always a specific date but, in some cases, a month (e.g. August 1820). The second document, Prothocol fun der lobliche Borchoder\sic| Comitat tsrachitischen Gemeinde welch dieses jahr erschafte worden ist/ Protokol mi-bnei

ha-Komutat Borsod nityased bish at asefat bnet ha-Gakl zum Tolerantz Anlag

bishnat 5585 1s the protocol of a county council convened by 1820 to assess and collect the Toleration Tax from Jews in Borsod County. It

covets the years 1825-1851, and thus overlaps with other protocol documents. It 1s written in Yiddish-Deutsch, and is 139 folio style pages long. Entries are not numbered and sporadically dated. The third document, Pznkas Ha-Kehilla [Communal Record Book], is the protocol of the Kehulla from May 1833 to April 1834. It is writ-

ten in Hebrew and Yiddish-Deutsch with regular, not folio style, pagination. Entries are dated but not numbered. The fourth document, Protocolle der Ehrsammen Israehtische Gemeinde

[Protocol of the Respectable Israelite Community], is the protocol of

the Miskolc Kehilla. It covers the period May 1835 through May

Xx Jews at the Crossroads 1846. It has entries in Yiddish-Deutsch and Hungarian. After 1839, it is written solely in Hungarian. The document is written in folio style, beginning with page #226:a and ending with page #456:b. Entries are numbered and dated. The fifth document, Borsod varmegyebeh Izrachta koxzség segyzdkonyv

[The protocol of the Borsod County Israelite community] 1s the protocol of the Borsod County Kehilla. It covers the period from January 1840 through May 1847. It 1s written in Hungarian with regular pagination. Entries are numbered and dated. The sixth document, Protocole der Cultusgemeinde [Protocol of the Congregation] is the protocol of the Miskolc Kehilla from April 1847 — May 1848. It is written in Hungarian with regular pagination. Entries are numbered and dated. The seventh document, Hitkézség: Jegyrékonyv [Communal Protocol], covers the period May 1848 — June 1849. It is written in Hungarian with regular pagination. Entries are numbered and dated. The eighth document, Protocolle der Borsod Izraelitische Cultusgemeinde

| [Protocol of the Borsod Israelite Religious Community] covers the period April—October 1849, and January 1850 — April 1851. It is writ-

ten in Hungarian with regular pagination. Pages 26-75 are missing. Entries are numbered and dated. The ninth document, [zraehia kozség jegyzékonyve. [Protocol of the Israelite Community] covers the period July 1857 — December 1860.

It is written in German with regular pagination. Entries are neither numbered nor dated. Page 113 1s used twice. The tenth document, Ixraehia Megyet Jegyzékényv (sic) [Israelite

County Protocol] covers October 1854 — October 1856 and August 1859 — November 1862. It is written in German and, after 1860, in

dated. :

Hungarian with regular pagination. Entries are numbered but not

Last of Abbreviations

Protokol Ha-Protokol He-Hadash Protocolle Protocole der Ehbrsammen Israehitische Gemeinde Jegyzokonyv Borsod varmegyebeh Izrachita ROzség jegyzbkOnyve

Cultusgemeinde Protocole der Cultusgemeinde

KVA Kolerara V onatkox6 Anyagat TIAS Lorvényszéknek Iratat Acta Sedraha BAZML Borsod-Abauj-Zemplén County Archive

MOL Magyar Orszagos Leveltar (The National Archives of Hungary)

MHJ(MZsO) Monumenta Judaica Hungariae (Magyar Zsido Okleveltar)

BLANK PAGE

Last of Lables

- | 86

Table I: Expenses and Revenues of the Burtal Society, 1813

Table II: Contributions to the Burtal Society, 1814 . 87 Table III: The Leadership of the Burial Society, 1812-1841 88

Gulden) , 141

Table IV: Resofski’s Mikveh: Options and Prices (in |

Table V: Donations to the Hekdesh, 1829-1830 143

Table VI: Hezkat ha-Kehilla, Summer 1833 144

1839 } 166

Table VII: Jewish Population Growth in Miskolc, 1829— _

Table VIII: Wolf Brody’s Will 168 Table EX: Domestic Servants by Year of Arrival: 1842-1848 179

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