A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Historica 7. (Szeged, 2004)

PÁL József: A szegedi zsidóság 1918 előtti gazdasági és társadalmi szerepe, a hitközösség és a zsidó egyletek szociálpolitikai tevékenysége

JÓZSEF PÁL THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ROLE OF THE JEWS IN SZEGED, THE SOCIOPOLITICAL ACTIVITY OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY AND SOCIETIES BEFORE 1918 Present paper consists of four chapters: Chapter one deals with the settlement and the developing population of the Jews in Szeged. According to the referendum in 1910 the 6831 Jews accounted for 5.9% of the population in the city. The role they played in the economic life of the city exceeded their rate of the population. The establishment of modern capitalist economy and society - religious life, commerce, manufacturing industry - mostly took place due to their activity. The relation between the Christian and Israelite population of the city was very good before 1918, we do not know about anti Jewish pogroms. Chapter two presents the organisational structure, the religious activity, educational policy and charitable activity of the Jewish community (1785-) as a self-governing community. Within the charitable activity directed by the charity board most remarkable was the annual clothing of poor schoolboys and schoolgirls in the winter season. This activity was to a great extent financially supported by different funds and donations (see Dávid Kis). Chapter three studies the activity of the Girls Associations (1887-). It presents in details the organisational structure and its development of the society. The charitable work of the society solely concentrated on one activity: catering poor school children free of charge in winter season, regardless of their denomination. Catering activity later included also the needy adults. Concerts, theatrical performances, balls, needlework and doll fairs, collections and donations financed the catering. Chapter four introduces the activity of the orphan society (1893-) and orphanage (1894-). The orphanage was built and maintained completely by the Jewish community of Szeged with the help of foundations and donations. The city provided only the ground-plot for building. 20-25 children were brought up in the orphanage (not only citizens of Szeged) between 6-12, however, the life of the children leaving the orphanage were followed and cared for later on as well.