Jewish mementos in Györ-Moson-Sopron Comitatus

Cakóháza

The immigration of Jews to Cakóháza began in the beginning of the 18th century. The tax registry of 1720 counts 14 Jewish families, a total of 17 persons. Immigration continued until the middle of the century, then declined. They did not have a school but visited the Györ synagogue on foot or with horse-drawn carriages. Cakóháza did however have a cemetery, at first at the Mohostó field, then next to the community cemetery but separated from it by a deep trench.

Ever since they began to settle here the Jews took to trade, they were so-called bundle Jews, they traveled back and forth between the cities and villages of the neighboring comitatuses and even went to Austria. They traded everything from thimbles to clothing. After 1760 they also started buying property. As there was no landlord in Cakóháza formal regulations were not strictly implemented and the Jews were able to open a tavern. They then concentrated on this new branch of business and by the end of the 1770s there were 7 Jewish pubs in Cakóháza. At that time alcoholic beverages were very cheap, spirits distilled from potato was very well known. After the revolution of 1848 more and more Jews left Cakóháza, apart from Györ they settled in Csorna and other larger cities in the hope of a better life.

Cemetery

At the beginning of the 20th century there were 70-80 tombstones at the local Jewish cemetery. Many of them were stolen, some of them can be found under sheds in the neighboring villages... Unfortunately this is not the only cemetery of the comitatus from which tombstones have disappeared without a trace. There have also been disputes about the Jewish cemetery. The older cemetery became the property of an aristocrat who wanted to close it so the Jews placed a complaint with the vice trustee of the comitatus. He had the matter reviewed by senior judge Márton Kovács, reply came on March 1, 1847.
The senior judge drew attention to the fact that the Jews wanted to maintain their cemetery for a few years a the least, they had even paid money for this, but the annual 5 Forint had been too much for them. At the end of the letter the judge announced that the cemetery was not to be interfered with until there was a decree issued by the honorable comitatus.
The chronicles of the village gives no information on the further procedure of the honorable comitatus, but we can assume that the Jewish cemetery we find in Cakóháza today is not the one the Jews had been trying to save with their letter to the vice trustee of the comitatus.

by Scholem Alejchem & Alexandra Vogt

2012.06.01