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Ament-Kovács Bence – Eitler Ágnes (szerk.): Örökségképzés, kulturális emlékezet, identitás. 329–374. Budapest: BTK Néprajztudományi Intézet, 2023 |
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Katalin Baloghné Tóth: Is There a Jewish Cultural Heritage in the Selyp Basin? A Case Study: Civilians for Saving the Jewish Cemetery in Apc |
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Abstract: The purpose of this study is to thematize the concept of “Jewish cultural heritage” within the framework of a case study and, related to this, outline the place and role of cemeteries in Jewish tradition. The focus of the case study is the settlement of Apc, located in the Selyp Basin in Heves County, Hungary, where a Jewish community of slightly more than a hundred people lived before WWII. After the Holocaust, some survivors returned to the settlement, not all of whom emigrated, and some of whom remained in Apc for the rest of their lives. What became of the community spaces of the former Jewish community of Apc, such as the cemetery, in the second half of the 20th century? The study covers the activities of the Together for Apc Association (Közösen Apcért Egyesület), a local civil initiative in operation for two decades, which was founded in 2003 with three objectives: the continuation of cultural activities, the preservation of cultural heritage, and the protection of the environment. Among the deteriorating values of the settlement, the “Israelite cemetery,” which was in a dilapidated and abandoned state at the time, was the first to be defined as a built cultural heritage. Involving various local actors (volunteers, local entrepreneurs) and contacting Jewish organizations (The Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities, Foundation for Hungarian Jewish Cemeteries), the cemetery was “inaugurated” in 2006 in the presence of a rabbi, a cantor, a Jewish secular leader, survivors and non-Jewish local inhabitants. In the past decade and a half, they have ensured the sustainability and maintenance of the achieved results, and kept the cemetery open not only to descendants but to all who are interested. The restoration of the Jewish cemetery in Apc exemplifies more than the preservation of the built heritage of a community, since as a common goal, a “cause,” it also provides an opportunity for cross-cultural dialogue, reflection, problem solving, and placing memory formation under the magnifying glass. Furthermore, it raises the question of how, in addition to the physical preservation of the built “matter,” the culture of the former local Jewish community is nurtured in practice – through lectures, heritage walks, research and collections, building and maintaining relationships, and events. |
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Kulcsszavak: zsidó temető, lokális identitások, zsidó kulturális örökség, zsidó-nemzsidó együttélés, felekezetek közötti párbeszéd |
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Keywords: Jewish cemetery, local identities, Jewish cultural heritage, Jewish-non-Jewish coexistence, cross-cultural dialogue |
