Additions to the jewish heritage of the Edelény district

Visual anthropological study of the Israelite cemeteries of Nyomár, Hangács and Lak

Abstract

With my study, I would like to contribute to the exploration of some abandoned, untended, small Jewish cemeteries in Northern Hungary. In the lack of proper attention and protection, cemeteries with only a few gravestones are likely to be lost or forgotten within a few decades. The settlements listed in the title belong to the Edelény district. Their inclusion was justified by the geographical delimitation of the research project Creative Region III.

Cemeteries occupy an important position in the fabric of society. The trauma of the Holocaust is not exclusive to the Jews, but is a trauma for society as a whole, and is exacerbated by the lack of public awareness. There are parts of the world - and Northern Hungary is one of them - where it is impossible to ask how Jews and non-Jews lived together. For this reason, only secondary sources can speak of a time when coexistence was natural. In my study I examine the funerary heritage of local Jewish culture in three settlements - Lak, Hangács and Nyomár. My study also seeks to present the current state of the burial grounds and to provide data for further research.