Hajdu County, Hungary

^{Sultan Jacob England 1945}

Hajdu was an administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary. It had a population of over 13,000 Jews in the early 20^th century. The capital was Debrecen, which was the home of four members of the Boys: the Jacob siblings and Alzbeta Marton. Moses Deutsch was from Hajduhadhaz and Josef Hornstein was born in Hajdannas.

Background

Before World War II, the Jewish community in Debrecen was well-integrated, with intellectuals like Alajos Popper and Albert Kardos promoting Magyarization and participating in liberal and conservative political circles.

The Jewish population in Debrecen grew significantly throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, reaching approximately 12,000 by 1940. Debrecen had a Jewish secondary school and several synagogues, including the Orthodox synagogue and a Neological synagogue both built in the 1890s.

The Hungarian antisemitic laws of 1938 caused many businesses to close when persecution of the Jewish community began.

1944

An estimated 12,000 Jews were left in Debrecen, when German forces entered the city on 20 March 1944. A ghetto was established by May 1944. To find out more about the ghetto click here. The members of the Boys from Debrecen were deported to the Theresienstadt Ghetto. To find out more click here. The majority of the regions Jews were taken to Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp. For more information on the camp click here.

Aftermath

Some 4,000 Jews from Debrecen survived the war, creating a community of 4,640 in 1946, the largest in the region.

Today, Debrecen’s Jewish community is the second largest in Hungary with about 1,500 members.