Remembering the past is crucial here at the Budapesti gettó Plaque. This marker stands as a testament to a dark chapter in Budapest’s history. It commemorates the Budapest Ghetto.
This Nazi ghetto was established in Budapest Hungary. Jews were forced to relocate here by the fascist Arrow Cross Party during World War II. The ghetto existed from November 29 1944 to January 17 1945.
The area included blocks of the old Jewish quarter. The Neolog Dohány Street Synagogue and the Orthodox Kazinczy Street Synagogue were both included. The Royal Hungarian Government created the ghetto. It was surrounded by a high fence. Guards prevented contraband from entering and people from leaving.
Seventy thousand Jews were moved into this small zone. It was less than a square mile. The Nazi occupation of Budapest began in March 1944. The ghetto was established in November and lasted less than two months. The Soviet Army liberated Budapest in January 1945.
Like other ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe it was completely isolated. No food was allowed in. Rubbish and waste were not collected. Dead bodies lay in the streets. Buildings were overcrowded which led to diseases like typhoid. The Central Jewish Council operated the ghetto’s inner workings.
More than half of those forced into the ghetto in 1944 were sent to concentration camps. The Jewish population of Budapest decreased dramatically. From 200000 to 70000 in the ghetto. Around 20000 others were housed outside the ghetto with diplomatic protection. Raoul Wallenberg issued Protective Passports. Carl Lutz acted similarly through the Swiss Government. Most deportees were later liberated by the Red Army.
Károly Szabó a Swedish Embassy employee rescued 36 kidnapped employees from the ghetto. This caught Raoul Wallenberg’s attention. Wallenberg met Szabó’s friend Pál Szalai a high-ranking police officer. This meeting prepared for saving the Budapest Ghetto.
Pál Szalai provided Wallenberg with special favors and information. Wallenberg learned of Adolf Eichmann’s plan to massacre the ghetto. He sent a note to General Gerhard Schmidhuber the German commander. Wallenberg promised the general would be held personally responsible. The massacre was stopped thanks to Wallenberg’s courage.
Giorgio Perlasca claimed Pál Szalai lied during his trial. According to Perlasca Wallenberg saved hundreds but wasn’t directly involved in the plan to save the ghetto. Perlasca discovered the plan to burn down the ghetto. He threatened the Hungarian interior minister with fictitious legal measures. This forced the minister to withdraw the project.
The last remaining section of the ghetto wall was demolished in 2006. It was located behind a building on Király Street. A memorial wall was erected in 2008. It used some original material.
Today the Budapesti gettó Plaque serves as a place of remembrance. It reminds us of the suffering endured within these boundaries. Take a moment to reflect on the lives lost and the resilience of those who survived. Let it be a lesson for generations to come.