Jewish Representatives of the Hungarian Political Opposition in Interwar Slovakia. The Case of Prešov and Košice
Jewish Representatives of the Hungarian Political Opposition in Interwar Slovakia. The Case of Prešov and Košice

Summary/Abstract: The paper constitutes an attempt to investigate the Jewish elite of interwar Czechoslovakia who were engaged in the Hungarian political opposition. Its aim is to examine the political activity of Jews who, after the post-1918 border changes, considered the Jewry of Slovakia and Subcarpathia as members of the Hungarian minority community, based on contemporary sources, mainly the interwar Czechoslovak press, pamphlets and articles written by Jewish members of the Hungarian National Party (Magyar Nemzeti Párt), founded in 1925, as well as archival documents. In the first part of the paper, the main tendencies are highlighted that characterized the nationality declaration of Jews in interwar Slovakia, with special regard to the Jewish citizens who declared Hungarian nationality. Thereafter, the policy of Magyar Nemzeti Párt, the Hungarian minority party is presented, in which a large number of Jewish representatives were grouped. The second part of the paper is dedicated to an analysis of the pamphlets and articles written by the most influential Jewish members of Magyar Nemzeti Párt, whose activity was concentrated mainly on the Eastern part of Slovakia, especially on Prešov and Košice. It is intended to highlight the way they were perceived by the Czechoslovak state. The paper is an attempt to contribute to a better understanding of the Jewish political activity that aimed to unite Jewish voters who declared themselves Hungarian, into one organization, which is still an overlooked aspect in recent Jewish studies concerning interwar Czechoslovakia.

• Details
• Contents