Jewish mementos in Györ-Moson-Sopron Comitatus

Mosonmagyaróvár

Cemetery

It is one of the cemeteries of the comitatus still in use today. This had been prohibited for a long time, 1990 however was a turning point in the history of the cemetery. The Jewish community renewed and refurbished it with great care. A memorial plaque states the date of the remodeling, August 21, 1990. The survivors of the Holocaust from the former comitatus Györ-Moson-Sopron and Mosonmagyaróvár had met in Jerusalem in 1989 and decided to restore the function of the Jewish cemetery, to renovate the morgue and to fence in the property.

1990 these goals were realized, the decaying tombstones were brought in shape. All this could only be done thanks to the donations of former Mosonmagyaróvár all over the world.

A chestnut avenue leads up to the cemetery, the trees were planted in 1860 when the cemetery was opened. Since then half the city has been moved to the former Jewish property, the cemetery is now surrounded by residential houses. Towards the front of the avenue a part of the former wrought-iron fence is visible, it was beautifully renovated in 1990-91.

The Moson Jewish cemetery is something of rarity as it can be visited daily from 1pm to 4pm except for Saturdays and major holidays. The book of visitors shows entries of Jews and non-Jews alike. The cemetery now also houses the marble plaques that were removed from the synagogue which was torn down, they bear the names of the martyrs in golden letters. The legible writing on the tombstones is in Hebrew, Hungarian and German. This is due to the proximity of Austria and the fact that many of Jews from Mähren migrated to Mosonmagyaróvár.

Downtown there is a kindergarten still used today, founded in 1891 by Károly Ostermayer.

by Scholem Alejchem & Alexandra Vogt

2012.05.31