On June 8, 2003, on Sunday following the Feast of Shavuoth, the Jewish community of Kiskunhalas remembered their martyrs, who perished in the Holocaust. The survivors, the martyrs' relatives and descendants, the sympathizing citizens of the town, the mayor and the board of representatives of the town council and the local leaders of the different churches were present in the traditional memorial service.
Mr. András Raáb, the president of the Jewish community welcomed the participants, thanking them for their presence.

The memorial service started with a psalm, sung by Chief Cantor Dr. Béla Kerekes, the teacher of the Jewish Theological Seminary - the University of Jewish Studies.
In the main part of the service, Chief Rabbi Prof. Dr. Alfréd Schoner, the rector of the Jewish Theological Seminary - the University of Jewish Studies, remembered the tragedy of the Jews of Kiskunhalas and of the whole country. In his speech, he quoted the Prophet Amos -

"This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
the town that marches out a hundred strong will have only ten left.",

emphasizing the fact that the reality was much graver, than this terrible prophecy: during the Holocaust less than the ten percent of the deported people had the possibility to return to their homes alive.

The Rector also pointed out the importance of the Feast of Shavuoth as the Feast of Giving of the Torah, pointing out the universality of the Ten Commandments and the fact that even the during darkest days of the Holocaust, there were few, who remained faithful to these eternal words, helping the persecuted and outcast ones.
After the speech of the Rector, the Chief Cantor recited the "Kel male rahamim" Prayer.


Following the prayer service, in the next part of the event, a Holocaust survivor, Mr. Iván Rutkai spoke to the participants, quoting the Nobel Prize winner writer, Imre Kertész, saying that it is possible to forgive but it is forbidden to forget.

Finally, the participant listened to the music performance of two members of the Jewish community, Mrs. Ágnes Bakos Fésus (piano) and Teodóra Nagy (violin).

On behalf of the Jewish community of the town of Baja, Orsolya Terray and Nimrod Tomik gave a presentation of a drama, edited by Mirella Pári, the student of the Teacher's Training Faculty of the Jewish Theological Seminary - the University of Jewish Studies, based on the novel of Rosa Gottlieb, "In the Death Camp with a Small Child", which was followed by a Yiddish song," Oyf'n Pripetchok".

Before reciting the Kaddish Prayer in the memorial garden of the synagogue, the participants sang the "Yerushalayim shel Zahav" song together.

The renovated synagogue

Written by - Mirella Pári
the third year student of the Teacher's Training Faculty of the Jewish Theological Seminary - the University of Jewish Studies

June 8, 2003