Somogyi Múzeumok Közleményei 9. (1992)

Matyikó Sebestyén József: A siófoki zsidóság története

A SIÓFOKI ZSIDÓSÁG TÖRTÉNETE 203 JÓZSEF SEBESTYEN MATYIKO: THE HISTORY OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF SIÓFOK Resume The present study is the first to summarize the history of the Jewish community of Siófok. Being the first, the study publishes a lof of new data and material based on the author's own researches and collections. Using archival sources the study shows the beginnings of Jewish trade at Siófok (on 10 April, 1825 the Siófok „shopping house" is let to a Jew called Schrenk by the Chapter of Veszprém). From that time on more and more Jewish enterprises had been formed soon one after the other (e. g. in the field of corn trade), which involved the settlement of a significant number of Jews. Mátyás Muth, a leaseholder Jew settled at Siófok in 1828, whose 5 sons also stayed at Siófok (Mór, József, Simon, Ádám and Sándor) and this family had become the core of the Jewish community formed in 1875. There activity considerably contributed to the development of Siófok as a trade and a health resort and to the faster urbanization. The neologian parish was formed in 1875, its first rabbi was Mór Dessauer. The synagogue was finished in 1878. Already in the first year of the foundation they ran a Hungarian-speaking school, an outstanding teacher of which was Adolf Rónai (1859-1932). Such eminent personalities as Dr Géza Révész psychologist, Imre Kálmán world-famous oreretta composer and Ferenc Révész-Ferrymann painter and many others were educated by him. The study analyses all the stages of development and change, writes about the traditional associations and clubs like Chevra Kadisa, the Jewish Women's Club of Siófok, Jewish Girls's Club and Jewish Youth Club. The author in his study - based on his own collections - shows the role and importance of the Jews and their considerable activity (Lipót Karpelesz, Dr Emil Friss, Dr Károly Lukács, Zoltán Rabin, Arthur Pártos, Aranka Sámuel and Pál Goldberger) in the economic, social and cultural life of Siófok from the point of view of cultural history, giving a detailed and complex picture. In the year of the outbreak of the Second World War the Jewish community had a population of 500 people. The study describes the tragedy of the Jews of Siófok in detail, the impact of the anti-Jewish laws, the forced labour services and the deportation - which together caused the destruction of the Jewish community of Siófok. Out of the total number of the deported Jews 15 women and 3 men, of the men on forced labour services 38, of those who had fled to Budapest 16 people returned at the beginning of 1945. They reorganized the Jewish community under very difficult circumstances. The community taxation officially began in 1948, at that time there were 30 tax paying Jewish families in the town. At Siófok at the place of the old synagogue, which had been pulled down, the new one was inaugurated on 12 June 1986, the first synagogue built after 1945 in Hungary. \