Remembering Yellow Star Houses in Budapest

  • In the summer of 1944, during the final months of Miklós Horthy’s governorship, and having nearly finished deporting Jews from the countryside, Hungarian political leaders decided it was now the turn of Budapest Jews to be forcibly expelled from their homes. On June 16, the mayor of Budapest issued a decree that marked out almost 2,000 apartment buildings in the city, into which 220,000 targeted individuals were obliged to move: 187,000 Jews and a further 35,000 converted Jews, subjected to a series of “Jewish laws”, and forced to wear a yellow Star of David on their clothing. They had to leave their own apartments by midnight on June 21, and move into one of the 1,944 designated apartment buildings also marked with a yellow star, the “yellow-star” houses.

    OSA Archivum remembers this tragic and shameful chapter of Budapest's past by exploring the history of the “yellow-star” houses. Take a look at OSA Archivum’s yellow-star houses website: www.yellowstarthouses.org

    On the 21st of June there were memorial events in front of many of these former yellow star houses. Centropa teachers and their students were also active in this program, and together with some of our interviewees they organied some of these events. We congratulate both the teachers and the students.

    Click here to see pictures from our events in partnership with this initiative

    Click here to read an article in the economist about this project