This is an undated photograph of Margit Paneth at the grave of her husband, Jeno, in Israel, reading from a Bible or prayer book. She is wearing a dress and head covering in the style of a religiously observant married woman. The headstone characterises Jeno as a blameless and upright man, which is a common biblical phrase used on graves. It also contains a quote from Pirke Avot 1:12, stating that he loved all people and brought them closer to the Torah, which refers to the fact that he was a melamed, a teacher of Jewish studies. The headstone states his Hebrew name, Yehezkel, son of Arieh Paneth, the name of his hometown, Papa, in Hungary, and his date of birth and death (1897–1964). This Israeli-style grave has a rectangular base of stone with a rectangular headstone. Several small stones have been places on the base of the grave, as is customary.
Jeno and Margit Paneth lived in Budapest and had two daughters. Both daughters moved to Israel, one in 1941 and the other in 1957. Jeno and Margit moved to Israel in 1951 and settled on a kibbutz. The family maintained an Orthodox lifestyle both in Hungary and in Israel. Jeno’s extended family had a variety of experiences in Hungary. One branch of the family became Hassidic and didn’t survive the Holocaust. The more assimilated family members who lived in Budapest survived the war. Jeno’s brother, who was also raised with a religious education, but led a secular life after he was married. Jeno’s nephew did not marry a Jewish woman but has fond memories of his family’s traditions.
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The Jewish Community of Hungary – Jews have lived in Hungary for approximately 600 years. Attitudes towards the Jewish community differed depending on the leaders; some were very welcoming, while others subjected the Jews to harsh taxation and blood libels and expelled them from certain areas of Hungary. By the mid-nineteenth century Jews had achieved full emancipation and the community prospered, with many belonging to the social, academic, and financial elites of the country. The Jewish community at the time consisted of Orthodox, traditionalist (Status Quo Ante), and Neolog communities. Prior to World War I, the Jews comprised around 5 percent of the total Hungarian population and 23 percent of the population of Budapest. By the outbreak of World War II, the Jewish population numbered around 825,000. In 1944, towards the end of the war, the Nazis took over Hungary, and within a very short period most of the Jews were murdered. Around 200,000 Hungarian Jews survived the war. After the war, only 140,000 Jews remained in Hungary, while others immigrated to Israel and other western countries. In the following years, the Jews remaining in Hungary were challenged once again, this time by communist rule. However, after the fall of communism in Hungary in 1989, the community rebuilt itself and is today the largest in East-Central Europe with around 75,000–100,000 Jews. Most Hungarian Jews live in Budapest, where there are 20 active synagogues and a variety of Jewish religious and cultural institutions.
