75 Documents of the Jewish community of Zsámbék
Zsámbék, ca. 1770–1850
Paper, paper binding, hand-written
Gift of the Jewish community of Zsámbék, following a call for museum collection, 1943
“Despite the hardships Hungarian Jews have to face, we cannot wait any longer, we must save our monuments and documents. If we do not act now, it will be too late.” – wrote Fülöp Grünwald (1887–1964) in 1943, who was then acting director of the museum. In order to save relics of small, disappearing communities, the museum organized collecting rounds on the countryside, and founded the National Committee of Hungarian Jewish Monuments. The rich archival material of the Jewish community of Zsámbék was rescued as a result of this work. Zsámbék was an important Jewish community founded in the 18th century, just like Óbuda, on land belonging to the Zichy family. In 1943, there were only four Jewish men left in Zsámbék, and the synagogue on the main square was dilapidated. The archive was found in old boxes, partially damaged, the legible documents were saved.