Black yarmulke worn by a Hungarian rabbi

Identifier
irn3337
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1990.245.8
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • English
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 3.875 inches (9.843 cm) | Width: 6.500 inches (16.51 cm) | Depth: 7.875 inches (20.003 cm)

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Simon Hevesi (1868-1943) was born Simon Handler in Aszód, Hungary, to Márk (1837-1911) and Julianna (nee Rosenberg) Handler. He had four siblings: Rudolf (1873-?), Illes (Elijah, 1878-1955), Nora (?-?), and Irma (?-?). Márk was a well-respected rabbi, and as a result, Simon and his siblings grew up in a very religious household. After attending grammar school, Simon was admitted to the National Rabbinical Training Institute. He also attended lectures in philosophy, history, and linguistics at the University of Budapest. Simon obtained a doctorate in humanities in 1892, and became an ordained rabbi in 1894. That same year, he became chief rabbi in Kassa, Hungary (now Košice, Slovakia) followed by Lugos (now Lugoj, Romania) in 1897. Simon married Janka Brody (Johanna, 1872-1945), the daughter of a respected Talmudic scholar. They had four sons and a daughter: Jenő (later Eugene, 1895-1983), Géza (1897-?), Ferenc (1898-1952), Imre (1904-1998), and Nóra (later Kürschner). In Lugos, Simon organized multiple educational institutions (the first of their kind in southern Hungary), and worked with non-Jewish intellectuals. As part of a pilgrimage study trip to Palestine, Simon met the leaders of the Jewish community in Budapest. At their invitation, the family moved to Budapest in 1905 and changed their last name to Hevesi. Simon became a leader in the community and held a professorship in oratory at the Rabbinical Institute. He was elected chief rabbi in 1927 and became president of the National Rabbinical Association. During his tenure in Budapest, Simon founded or served as a board member of numerous institutions and organizations, including the National Hungarian Israelite Public Education Association, Hungarian Revision League, the Israelite Hungarian Literary Society, the National Israelite Patronage Association, and the Hungarian Israelite Handicraft and Agricultural Association. He was also a prolific writer and editor of Jewish scholarly works. He wrote around six hundred pieces, 31 of which were published, and contributed to 26 journals and newspapers. In 1930, Simon’s son, Ferenc, who followed him as a rabbi, moved to Budapest with his wife and daughter. They shared a large apartment with Simon and Janka. Ferenc worked under his father at the Dohany Street synagogue. The combined household was very traditional, and they observed all of the holidays and ate exclusively kosher. They had a close extended family, and they regularly met at Simon and Janka’s home for meals. Around 1933 or 1934, Ferenc’s family moved into their own apartment. In 1939, Simon traveled to the United States, and was given an honorary doctorate by the Jewish Theological Society of America. His son, Jenő, was sent to the US as a diplomat with his family in 1938. Jenő changed his name to Eugene while there, and during his visit, Simon convinced him to remain in the US instead of returning to Hungary. Things began to change for the Jewish population as Hungary began instituting anti-Jewish policies modeled after German laws in 1938, and then joined the Axis alliance in November 1940. Young males were conscripted into forced labor battalions to support the war effort. When Simon’s granddaughter, Eva, graduated high school in 1942, most Jews were prohibited from attending university. While a connection of the family was able to get Eva enrolled, she was prohibited from attending medical school as she had wanted. The family was able to keep abreast of the war by illegally listening to Allied radio broadcasts. When Simon died in 1943, Ferenc and a colleague succeeded him as co-chief rabbis. The situation in Hungary continued to worsen as the German army occupied the country and the radically antisemitic Arrow Cross Party came to power. Janka starved to death in a sanitarium after the nurse who was caring for her began stealing her food. Ferenc, his wife, and daughter survived the war in hiding and immigrated to the United States afterward.

Archival History

The yarmulke was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990 by Eva Ehrlich.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Eva Ehrlich

Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Scope and Content

Black yarmulke owned by Rabbi Simon Hevesi, likely acquired in 1939, when he traveled to the United States to receive an honorary doctorate from the Jewish Theological Society of America. A yarmulke is a skullcap worn by observant Jewish males. Simon Handler became an ordained rabbi in 1894, and was appointed chief rabbi in Kassa, Hungary (now Košice, Slovakia) followed by Lugos (now Lugoj, Romania) in 1897. As part of a pilgrimage study trip to Palestine, Simon met the leaders of the Jewish community in Budapest. At their invitation, Simon moved with his wife and five children to Budapest in 1905 and changed their last name to Hevesi. As a rabbi in the Dohány Street synagogue, Simon became a leader in the community, was a beloved speaker, and held a professorship in oratory at the Rabbinical Institute. He was elected chief rabbi of Hungary in 1927 and became president of the National Rabbinical Association. In 1930, Simon’s son, Ferenc, moved to Budapest with his wife and daughter, and also became a rabbi at the Dohány synagogue. In 1939, Simon traveled to the United States, and was given an honorary doctorate by the Jewish Theological Society of America. During his tenure in Budapest, Simon founded or served as a board member of numerous institutions and organizations, and was a prolific writer and editor of Jewish scholarly works. When Simon died in 1943, Ferenc and a colleague succeeded him as co-chief rabbis.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Foldable black silk and cotton yarmulke made from 2 layers of cloth with a flat oval top. The long sides have a center seam with a decorative black cloth covered button at the top. The interior has a yellow stamped mark of 3 eagles with a globe and shield. There is a brown cloth size tag with illegible text sewn to the back edge.

interior, on tag, red ink : 8 / (?)

People

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.