The photograph shows a number of boys outside the building of the Jewish boys’ school, some are sitting on deckchairs. There are a number of large trees outside the building, and it is surrounded by a picket fence. The caption reads in Hungarian: “Jewish boys’ educational institute of Miskolc.” On the right is the address and a Hungarian stamp. The exact date is not clear, however based on the stamp and the photograph, it is likely to be from the early twentieth century.
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Miskolc - Miskolc, situated in northeast Hungary, is the fourth largest city in Hungary. The Jewish community in Miskolc dates back to the eighteenth century, with Jews originally arriving in the city for trade fairs. In the nineteenth century, after laws regarding Jewish settlement in the city were abandoned, the community grew, and a synagogue, burial society (chevra kadisha), and cemetery were established. By the beginning of the twentieth century the Jewish community in Miskolc numbered around 10,000. Most of the Jews of Miskolc worked in commerce as innkeepers and artisans; its first commercial bank was co-founded by a Jew. Miskolc was home to a one of the most developed Jewish education systems in Hungary and included three yeshivas, three Talmud Torah schools, two elementary schools, a girls’ high school, vocational schools, and a teacher training seminary for Jewish women and served more than 1,600 Jewish students.
During the Holocaust, many Jewish men from Miskloc were conscripted for forced labour, while others were sent to fight in Ukraine. On March 19, 1944, all of Miskolc’s Jews were deported to Auschwitz, out of whom only 400 survived. After the war, Miskolc became an important transit centre for the survivors. The Jewish elementary school was reopened and functioned until 1948. By 1970, however, the community was left with only 300 members, mainly due to emigration.
