Mukacheve
Encyclopedia
Mukachevo or Mukacheve is a city
located in the valley of the Latorica river in the Zakarpattia Oblast
(province
), in southwestern Ukraine
. Serving as the administrative center
of the Mukachivskyi Raion
(district
), the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. The population in 1989 was 91,000, in 2004 77,300 and is now 93,738 .
The city is now a rail terminus and highway junction, and has beer, wine, tobacco, food, textile, timber and furniture industries. During the Cold War
it was home to Mukachevo air base
.
Mukachevo has a Ukrainian
majority (77.1%) with a significant minority of Russians
(9.0%), Hungarians (8.5%), Germans
(1.9%) and Roma (1.4%).
is either spelled Мукачево (Mukachevo) or Мукачово (Mukachovo). Other names are ; ; ; Polish
Mukaczewo; Slovak
and Czech
: Mukačevo; ; .
From the 9th to 11th centuries, Mukachevo may have been part for a time of the Kievan Rus'
state. In 1018, Mukachevo was taken by the Hungarians
and became a center of power of Hungarian kings. In 1397, the town and its surrounding was granted by King Sigismund of Hungary to the Ruthenian prince Theodor Koriatovich, who settled many Ruthenians
in the territory. During the 15th century, the city prospered and became a prominent craft and trade center for the region. In 1445, The town became a Hungarian free royal town. It was also granted the rights of Magdeburg law.
During the 16th century, Mukachevo became part of the Principality of Transylvania
. Anti-Habsburg
revolts took place during 1604-1711, within the territories and in present-day Slovakia. A gymnasium
was established in the city in 1646. During 1685-1688, the beginning of the anti-Habsburg Revolt of Imre Thököly
took place in Mukachevo.
took place here. During the mid-late 18th century, the city came under Austrian control as part of the Kingdom of Hungary and was made a key fortress of the Habsburg Monarchy
. In 1726, the Palanok Castle
and the town, before 1711 owned by the Rákóczi
family, was given by the Habsburgs to the Schönborn
family, who were responsible for an expansion of the town. They also settled many Germans
in the territory, thereby causing an economic boom of the region. During 1796-1897, the city's castle, until then a strong fortress, became an all-European political prison, after the Storming of the
Bastille
. During 1821-1823, the Greek
national hero Alexander Ypsilanti was imprisoned at the Palanok Castle.
-Rusyns
agreed with Tomáš Masaryk
to incorporate Carpathian Ruthenia
into Czechoslovakia
, the whole of Carpathian Ruthenia
was occupied by Czechoslovak troops. On June 4, 1920, Mukachevo officially became part of Czechoslovakia by the Treaty of Trianon
. In November 1938, a part of the territory of the former Kingdom of Hungary was re-annexed by Hungary as part of the First Vienna Award
. Mukachevo was then the only town in Hungary with a Jewish majority until 1944, when all the Jews were deported to Auschwitz by the Nazi German Eichmann Commando. The Hungarian Jewish community was the last Jewish community in Europe to be subjected to deportation, and then only partially.
In the end of 1944, the Red Army
stormed Carpathian Ruthenia. At first the territory was given to the reestabilished Czechoslovakia, then became part of the Soviet Union
by a treaty between the two countries, later in 1945. The Soviet Union began a policy of expulsion of the Hungarian population. In 1945, the city was ceded to the Ukrainian SSR
(now Ukraine
). In 2002, Mukachevo has been the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese comprising Transcarpathia
.
In 1921, 21,000 people lived in Mukachevo. Of these, 48 percent were Jews, 24 percent were Ukrainians, and 22 percent were Hungarians.
The city's population in 1966 was 50,500. Of these, 60% were Ukrainians, 18 percent Hungarians, 10% Russians and 6% Jews.
There are documents in the Berehove
State Archives which indicate that Jews lived in Munkács and the surrounding villages as early as the second half of the seventeenth century. The Jewish community of Munkács was an amalgam of Galician & Hungarian Hasidic
Jewry, Orthodox Jews, and Zionists. The town is most noted for its Chief Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira
who led the community until his passing in 1937.
By 1851 Munkacs supported a large yeshiva
, thereby demonstrating the community’s commitment to Talmud
ic learning and piety.
Materially impoverished, yet wealthy in ideological debate, the Jews of interwar Munkacs constituted almost half of the town's population. The Munkacs Jewish community was famous for its Hasidic activity as well as its innovations in Zionism
and modern Jewish education.
The Jewish population of Munkacs grew from 2,131 in 1825 to 5,049 in 1891 (almost 50 percent of the total population) to 7,675 in 1910 (about 44 percent). By 1921, the 10,000 Jews still made up about half the residents, though by 1930, the proportion had dropped to 43 percent, with a little over 11,000 Jews. The Jews of Munkacs constituted 11 percent of the Jewry of Subcarpathian Rus.
Interwar Munkacs had a very large Jewish population, which was most visible on the Shabbat
. On that day most stores were closed and, after services, the streets filled with Hasidic Jews in their traditional garb. The first movie house in the town was established by a Hasidic Jew, and it too closed on the Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
The Chief Rabbi of Munkacs, Rabbi
Chaim Elazar Spira
(who led the community from 1913 until his death in 1937) was the most outspoken voice of religious anti-Zionism
. He had succeeded his father, Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Spira, who had earlier inherited the mantle of leadership from his father Rabbi Shlomo Spira. He was also a Hasidic rebbe
with a significant number of followers. Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira was succeeded by his son-in-law, Rabbi Baruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel Rabinowicz
.
Along with the dominant Munkacser hasidic community there co-existed smaller yet vibrant hasidic groups who were followers of the rebbes of Spinka
, Zidichov
, and Vizhnitz
. By the time of the Holocaust
there were nearly 30 synagogue
s in town, many of which were Shtieblech
("[small] house" - small [Hasidic] synagogues).
The Hebrew
Gymnasium was founded in Munkacs five years after the first Hebrew speaking elementary school in Czechoslovakia was established there in 1920. It soon became the most prestigious Hebrew high school east of Warsaw
. Zionist activism along with chasidic pietism contributed to a community percolating with excitement, intrigue and at times internecine conflict
In 1935, Chaim Kugel, formerly director of the Munkacs gymnasium (Jewish high school) and then Jewish Party delegate to the Czechoslovak Parliament, gave a speech during a parliamentary debate: "…It is completely impossible to adequately describe the poverty in the area. The Jews… are affected equally along with the rest…. I strongly wish to protest any attempt to blame the poverty of the Subcarpathian Ruthenian peasantry on the Jews" (Kugel later got to Mandatory Palestine and eventually became mayor of the Israel
i city of Holon).
Government policies were covertly directed against Jews, who bore a heavy share of taxes and had difficulty getting high civil service positions.
In 1939, the Hungarians seized and annexed Subcarpathian Rus—including Munkacs—taking advantage of the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia. Though antisemitic legislation was introduced by the Hungarian authorities, Subcarpathian Rus, like the rest of Hungary, remained a relative haven for Jews until Germany occupied Hungary in 1944.
In the spring of 1944 there were nearly 15,000 Jewish residents of the town. This ended on May 30, 1944 when the city was pronounced Judenrein (free of Jews after ghettoization and a series of deportations to Auschwitz).
Today, Mukachevo is experiencing a Jewish renaissance of sorts with the establishment of a supervised kosher kitchen, a mikveh, Jewish summer camp in addition to the prayer services which take place three times daily. In July 2006, a new synagogue was dedicated on the site of a pre-war hasidic synagogue with the attendance of hundreds of local Jews from the Transcarpathia
region and a delegation of 300 Hasidic Jews from the United States, Israel and Europe headed by the spiritual leader of Munkacs Hasidic Jewry, Rebbe
Moshe Leib Rabinovich
, who currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
with
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
located in the valley of the Latorica river in the Zakarpattia Oblast
Zakarpattia Oblast
The Zakarpattia Oblast is an administrative oblast located in southwestern Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Uzhhorod...
(province
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
), in southwestern Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Serving as the administrative center
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of the Mukachivskyi Raion
Mukachivskyi Raion
The Mukachevo Raion is a raion of the Zakarpattia Oblast in Ukraine. Mukachevo is the administrative center of the raion.-Towns:-Villages:...
(district
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
), the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. The population in 1989 was 91,000, in 2004 77,300 and is now 93,738 .
The city is now a rail terminus and highway junction, and has beer, wine, tobacco, food, textile, timber and furniture industries. During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
it was home to Mukachevo air base
Mukachevo (air base)
Mukachevo is an air base in Ukraine located 6 km southwest of Mukachevo. During the Cold War it served as a small interceptor base. The airfield had a loop taxiway with many parking revetments...
.
Mukachevo has a Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
majority (77.1%) with a significant minority of Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
(9.0%), Hungarians (8.5%), Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
(1.9%) and Roma (1.4%).
Name
There are many different ways to name Mukacheve. In Ukrainian it is usually spelled as Mukacheve while Мукачів (Mukachiv) is sometimes also used in Ukrainian. Its name in RusynRusyn language
Rusyn , also known in English as Ruthenian, is an East Slavic language variety spoken by the Rusyns of Central Europe. Some linguists treat it as a distinct language and it has its own ISO 639-3 code; others treat it as a dialect of Ukrainian...
is either spelled Мукачево (Mukachevo) or Мукачово (Mukachovo). Other names are ; ; ; Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
Mukaczewo; Slovak
Slovak language
Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...
and Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
: Mukačevo; ; .
Early history: 9th-16th centuries
- For earlier history (Great MoraviaGreat MoraviaGreat Moravia was a Slavic state that existed in Central Europe and lasted for nearly seventy years in the 9th century whose creators were the ancestors of the Czechs and Slovaks. It was a vassal state of the Germanic Frankish kingdom and paid an annual tribute to it. There is some controversy as...
or Kievan Rus'Kievan Rus'Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
), see Carpathian RutheniaCarpathian RutheniaCarpathian Ruthenia is a region in Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast , with smaller parts in easternmost Slovakia , Poland's Lemkovyna and Romanian Maramureş.It is...
.
From the 9th to 11th centuries, Mukachevo may have been part for a time of the Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
state. In 1018, Mukachevo was taken by the Hungarians
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
and became a center of power of Hungarian kings. In 1397, the town and its surrounding was granted by King Sigismund of Hungary to the Ruthenian prince Theodor Koriatovich, who settled many Ruthenians
Ruthenians
The name Ruthenian |Rus']]) is a culturally loaded term and has different meanings according to the context in which it is used. Initially, it was the ethnonym used for the East Slavic peoples who lived in Rus'. Later it was used predominantly for Ukrainians...
in the territory. During the 15th century, the city prospered and became a prominent craft and trade center for the region. In 1445, The town became a Hungarian free royal town. It was also granted the rights of Magdeburg law.
During the 16th century, Mukachevo became part of the Principality of Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
. Anti-Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
revolts took place during 1604-1711, within the territories and in present-day Slovakia. A gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
was established in the city in 1646. During 1685-1688, the beginning of the anti-Habsburg Revolt of Imre Thököly
Imre Thököly
Count Imre Thököly de Késmárk was a Hungarian statesman, leader of an anti-Habsburg uprising, Prince of Transylvania, and vassal king of Upper Hungary.- Early life :Imre Thököly was born at Késmárk, Royal Hungary Count Imre Thököly de Késmárk (Thököly/Tököly/Tökölli Imre in Hungarian, Mirko...
took place in Mukachevo.
Austrian control and revolts
During the early 18th century, the beginning of the revolt led by Ferenc II RákócziFrancis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi Hungarian aristocrat, he was the leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in 1703-11 as the prince of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was also Prince of Transylvania, an Imperial Prince, and a member of the Order of the Golden...
took place here. During the mid-late 18th century, the city came under Austrian control as part of the Kingdom of Hungary and was made a key fortress of the Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
. In 1726, the Palanok Castle
Palanok Castle
The Palanok Castle or Mukachevo Castle is a historic castle in the city of Mukachevo in the western Ukrainian oblast of Zakarpattia. The Palanok Castle is delicately preserved,, and is located on a former 68 meter high volcanic hill...
and the town, before 1711 owned by the Rákóczi
Rákóczi
The Rákóczi were a Hungarian noble family in the Kingdom of Hungary between the 13th century and 18th century. Their name is also spelled Rakoczi and Rakoczy in some foreign sources....
family, was given by the Habsburgs to the Schönborn
Schönborn
- Places :* Schönborn, Brandenburg, in the Elbe-Elster district, Brandenburg* Bad Schönborn, in the district of Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg* Schönborn, Rhein-Hunsrück, in the Rhein-Hunsrück district, Rhineland-Palatinate...
family, who were responsible for an expansion of the town. They also settled many Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
in the territory, thereby causing an economic boom of the region. During 1796-1897, the city's castle, until then a strong fortress, became an all-European political prison, after the Storming of the
Storming of the Bastille
The storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris on the morning of 14 July 1789. The medieval fortress and prison in Paris known as the Bastille represented royal authority in the centre of Paris. While the prison only contained seven inmates at the time of its storming, its fall was the flashpoint...
Bastille
Bastille
The Bastille was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. The Bastille was built in response to the English threat to the city of...
. During 1821-1823, the Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
national hero Alexander Ypsilanti was imprisoned at the Palanok Castle.
Mukachevo during and after the wars
In 1919, after the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-Rusyns
Rusyns
Carpatho-Rusyns are a primarily diasporic ethnic group who speak an Eastern Slavic language, or Ukrainian dialect, known as Rusyn. Carpatho-Rusyns descend from a minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the use of the ethnonym "Ukrainian" in the early twentieth century...
agreed with Tomáš Masaryk
Tomáš Masaryk
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk , sometimes called Thomas Masaryk in English, was an Austro-Hungarian and Czechoslovak politician, sociologist and philosopher, who as an eager advocate of Czechoslovak independence during World War I became the founder and first President of Czechoslovakia, also was...
to incorporate Carpathian Ruthenia
Carpathian Ruthenia
Carpathian Ruthenia is a region in Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast , with smaller parts in easternmost Slovakia , Poland's Lemkovyna and Romanian Maramureş.It is...
into Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, the whole of Carpathian Ruthenia
Carpathian Ruthenia
Carpathian Ruthenia is a region in Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast , with smaller parts in easternmost Slovakia , Poland's Lemkovyna and Romanian Maramureş.It is...
was occupied by Czechoslovak troops. On June 4, 1920, Mukachevo officially became part of Czechoslovakia by the Treaty of Trianon
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon was the peace agreement signed in 1920, at the end of World War I, between the Allies of World War I and Hungary . The treaty greatly redefined and reduced Hungary's borders. From its borders before World War I, it lost 72% of its territory, which was reduced from to...
. In November 1938, a part of the territory of the former Kingdom of Hungary was re-annexed by Hungary as part of the First Vienna Award
First Vienna Award
The First Vienna Award was the result of the First Vienna Arbitration, which took place at Vienna's Belvedere Palace on November 2, 1938. The Arbitration and Award were direct consequences of the Munich Agreement...
. Mukachevo was then the only town in Hungary with a Jewish majority until 1944, when all the Jews were deported to Auschwitz by the Nazi German Eichmann Commando. The Hungarian Jewish community was the last Jewish community in Europe to be subjected to deportation, and then only partially.
In the end of 1944, the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
stormed Carpathian Ruthenia. At first the territory was given to the reestabilished Czechoslovakia, then became part of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
by a treaty between the two countries, later in 1945. The Soviet Union began a policy of expulsion of the Hungarian population. In 1945, the city was ceded to the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
(now Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). In 2002, Mukachevo has been the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese comprising Transcarpathia
Zakarpattia Oblast
The Zakarpattia Oblast is an administrative oblast located in southwestern Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Uzhhorod...
.
Historical
According to the census of 1910, there were 17,275 people living in Mukachevo. Of these, 44.4% were Jewish, 23.6% Greek Catholic, 20.4% Roman Catholic, 10.3% Calvinist and 1.1% Lutheran.In 1921, 21,000 people lived in Mukachevo. Of these, 48 percent were Jews, 24 percent were Ukrainians, and 22 percent were Hungarians.
The city's population in 1966 was 50,500. Of these, 60% were Ukrainians, 18 percent Hungarians, 10% Russians and 6% Jews.
Current
According to the 2001 census, 82,200 people live in Mukachevo. Its population includes::- Ukrainians (77.1%)
- Russians (9.0%)
- Hungarians (8.5%)
- Germans (1.9%)
- Roma (1.4%)
Jewish community
- See also Munkacs (Hasidic dynasty)
There are documents in the Berehove
Berehove
Berehove is a city located in the Zakarpattia Oblast in western Ukraine, near the border with Hungary.Serving as the administrative center of the Berehove Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
State Archives which indicate that Jews lived in Munkács and the surrounding villages as early as the second half of the seventeenth century. The Jewish community of Munkács was an amalgam of Galician & Hungarian Hasidic
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
Jewry, Orthodox Jews, and Zionists. The town is most noted for its Chief Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira
Chaim Elazar Spira
Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira was one of the rebbes of the Hasidic movement Munkacz .-Family background:...
who led the community until his passing in 1937.
By 1851 Munkacs supported a large yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
, thereby demonstrating the community’s commitment to Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic learning and piety.
Materially impoverished, yet wealthy in ideological debate, the Jews of interwar Munkacs constituted almost half of the town's population. The Munkacs Jewish community was famous for its Hasidic activity as well as its innovations in Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
and modern Jewish education.
The Jewish population of Munkacs grew from 2,131 in 1825 to 5,049 in 1891 (almost 50 percent of the total population) to 7,675 in 1910 (about 44 percent). By 1921, the 10,000 Jews still made up about half the residents, though by 1930, the proportion had dropped to 43 percent, with a little over 11,000 Jews. The Jews of Munkacs constituted 11 percent of the Jewry of Subcarpathian Rus.
Interwar Munkacs had a very large Jewish population, which was most visible on the Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
. On that day most stores were closed and, after services, the streets filled with Hasidic Jews in their traditional garb. The first movie house in the town was established by a Hasidic Jew, and it too closed on the Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
The Chief Rabbi of Munkacs, Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Chaim Elazar Spira
Chaim Elazar Spira
Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira was one of the rebbes of the Hasidic movement Munkacz .-Family background:...
(who led the community from 1913 until his death in 1937) was the most outspoken voice of religious anti-Zionism
Anti-Zionism
Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionistic views or opposition to the state of Israel. The term is used to describe various religious, moral and political points of view in opposition to these, but their diversity of motivation and expression is sufficiently different that "anti-Zionism" cannot be...
. He had succeeded his father, Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Spira, who had earlier inherited the mantle of leadership from his father Rabbi Shlomo Spira. He was also a Hasidic rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
with a significant number of followers. Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira was succeeded by his son-in-law, Rabbi Baruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel Rabinowicz
Baruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel Rabinowicz
Grand Rabbi Baruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel Rabinovich, , was born into a distinguished chassidic dynasty, and succeeded to the title Munkacser Rebbe.- Early years :...
.
Along with the dominant Munkacser hasidic community there co-existed smaller yet vibrant hasidic groups who were followers of the rebbes of Spinka
Spinka (Hasidic dynasty)
Spinka is the name of a Hasidic group within Orthodox Judaism. The group originated in a city called Săpânţa , Maramureş, Romania, near the Hungarian border.-Spinka rebbes:...
, Zidichov
Zidichov (Hasidic dynasty)
Ziditshov is a Hasidic dynasty originating in town Ziditshoyv , in Galicia . It was founded by Rebbe Tzvi Hirsh of Ziditshov...
, and Vizhnitz
Vizhnitz (Hasidic dynasty)
Vizhnitz is the name of a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rebbe Menachem Mendel Hager. Vizhnitz is the Yiddish name of Vyzhnytsia, a village in present-day Ukraine.Followers of the rebbes of Vizhnitz are called Vizhnitzer chasidim....
. By the time of the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
there were nearly 30 synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s in town, many of which were Shtieblech
Shtiebel
A shtiebel is a place used for communal Jewish prayer. In contrast to a formal synagogue, a shtiebel is far smaller and approached more casually. It is typically as small as a room in a private home or a place of business which is set aside for the express purpose of prayer, or it may be as large...
("[small] house" - small [Hasidic] synagogues).
The Hebrew
Hebrews
Hebrews is an ethnonym used in the Hebrew Bible...
Gymnasium was founded in Munkacs five years after the first Hebrew speaking elementary school in Czechoslovakia was established there in 1920. It soon became the most prestigious Hebrew high school east of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. Zionist activism along with chasidic pietism contributed to a community percolating with excitement, intrigue and at times internecine conflict
In 1935, Chaim Kugel, formerly director of the Munkacs gymnasium (Jewish high school) and then Jewish Party delegate to the Czechoslovak Parliament, gave a speech during a parliamentary debate: "…It is completely impossible to adequately describe the poverty in the area. The Jews… are affected equally along with the rest…. I strongly wish to protest any attempt to blame the poverty of the Subcarpathian Ruthenian peasantry on the Jews" (Kugel later got to Mandatory Palestine and eventually became mayor of the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i city of Holon).
Government policies were covertly directed against Jews, who bore a heavy share of taxes and had difficulty getting high civil service positions.
In 1939, the Hungarians seized and annexed Subcarpathian Rus—including Munkacs—taking advantage of the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia. Though antisemitic legislation was introduced by the Hungarian authorities, Subcarpathian Rus, like the rest of Hungary, remained a relative haven for Jews until Germany occupied Hungary in 1944.
In the spring of 1944 there were nearly 15,000 Jewish residents of the town. This ended on May 30, 1944 when the city was pronounced Judenrein (free of Jews after ghettoization and a series of deportations to Auschwitz).
Today, Mukachevo is experiencing a Jewish renaissance of sorts with the establishment of a supervised kosher kitchen, a mikveh, Jewish summer camp in addition to the prayer services which take place three times daily. In July 2006, a new synagogue was dedicated on the site of a pre-war hasidic synagogue with the attendance of hundreds of local Jews from the Transcarpathia
Carpathian Ruthenia
Carpathian Ruthenia is a region in Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast , with smaller parts in easternmost Slovakia , Poland's Lemkovyna and Romanian Maramureş.It is...
region and a delegation of 300 Hasidic Jews from the United States, Israel and Europe headed by the spiritual leader of Munkacs Hasidic Jewry, Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
Moshe Leib Rabinovich
Moshe Leib Rabinovich
Moshe Leib Rabinovich is the current rebbe of Munkacs.Rabinovich was born as the third child to his parents Rabbi Baruch and Frima Rabinovich in Munkacs, Carpathian Ruthenia, Ukraine, the country itself having at the time just been created with a sizable piece of Hungary, which in turn received...
, who currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
Architectural landmarks
- Palanok CastlePalanok CastleThe Palanok Castle or Mukachevo Castle is a historic castle in the city of Mukachevo in the western Ukrainian oblast of Zakarpattia. The Palanok Castle is delicately preserved,, and is located on a former 68 meter high volcanic hill...
, 14th century. The castle of Munkács played an important role during the anti-Habsburg revolts in this territory and present-day SlovakiaSlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
(1604–1711), especially at the beginning of the anti-Habsburg Revolt of Imre ThökölyImre ThökölyCount Imre Thököly de Késmárk was a Hungarian statesman, leader of an anti-Habsburg uprising, Prince of Transylvania, and vassal king of Upper Hungary.- Early life :Imre Thököly was born at Késmárk, Royal Hungary Count Imre Thököly de Késmárk (Thököly/Tököly/Tökölli Imre in Hungarian, Mirko...
(1685–1688), as well as at the beginning of the revolt of Ferenc II. Rákóczi (early 18th century). This important fortress became a prison from the end of the 18th century and was used until 1897. The Greek national hero Alexander Ypsilanti was imprisoned in Munkács castle from 1821 to 1823. - Saint Nicholas Monastery
- Wooden church built in the Ukrainian architectural style, 18th century
Twin towns
Mukachevo is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with
- MielecMielecMielec is a city in south-eastern Poland with a population of 60,979 inhabitants, as of June 2009. It is located in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship ; previously it was in Rzeszów Voivodeship...
in PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
- MátészalkaMátészalkaMátészalka is a town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 18,084 people .Mátészalka is a sistertown of Zevenaar ....
in HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
- NailaNailaNaila is a town in the Frankenwald hills, in the Hof district of Bavaria. Naila is situated some 18 km from the larger city of Hof.-History:...
in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- PrešovPrešovPrešov Historically, the city has been known in German as Eperies , Eperjes in Hungarian, Fragopolis in Latin, Preszów in Polish, Peryeshis in Romany, Пряшев in Russian and Пряшів in Rusyn and Ukrainian.-Characteristics:The city is a showcase of Baroque, Rococo and Gothic...
in SlovakiaSlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
People
- Lojza BaránekLojza BaránekLojza Baránek is a Czechoslovak painter.From 1951 to 1957 he studied at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava under professor Ladislav Vychodil...
- Samuel GottesmanSamuel GottesmanDavid Samuel Gottesman , was a Hungarian-born, American pulp-paper merchant, financier and philanthropist. He was generally known as Samuel Gottesman or D. Samuel Gottesman.-Pulp-paper:...
- Fyodor KoriatovychFyodor KoriatovychFyodor Koriatovych was a Ruthenian prince of Lithuanian origins, son of Karijotas, Duke of Navahrudak, and grandson of Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. Fedir inherited Navahrudak Castle from his father and after his other brothers died ca. 1389, became ruler of all Podolia as a result of the...
- Lolita MilyavskayaLolita MilyavskayaLolita Markovna Milyavskaya ; born 14 November 1963, Mukachevo, Transcarpathian Region, Ukrainian SSR), is a Russian singer, actress, TV and film director, better known under the pseudonym stage Lolita.-External links:...
- Ivan MozerIvan MozerIvan Ivanovich Mozer was a Ukrainian and Soviet football player, coach and director.-International career:Mozer made his debut for USSR on July 1, 1956 in a friendly against Denmark.-External links:...
- Mihály MunkácsyMihály MunkácsyMihály Munkácsy was a Hungarian painter, who lived in Paris and earned international reputation with his genre pictures and large scale biblical paintings.-Early Years of Munkácsy:...
- Rio PreisnerRio PreisnerRio Preisner was a Czech poet, philosopher, translator, and scholar of Czech and German literature.- Biography :Preisner was born in the easternly town of Mukačevo...
- Baruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel RabinowiczBaruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel RabinowiczGrand Rabbi Baruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel Rabinovich, , was born into a distinguished chassidic dynasty, and succeeded to the title Munkacser Rebbe.- Early years :...
- Moshe Leib RabinovichMoshe Leib RabinovichMoshe Leib Rabinovich is the current rebbe of Munkacs.Rabinovich was born as the third child to his parents Rabbi Baruch and Frima Rabinovich in Munkacs, Carpathian Ruthenia, Ukraine, the country itself having at the time just been created with a sizable piece of Hungary, which in turn received...
- Ludvík RážaLudvík RážaLudvík Ráža was a Czech film director. He directed the film Poslední propadne peklu in 1982.- References :...
- Ján StrauszJán StrauszJán Strausz , nicknamed Johan after composer Johann Strauss, is a former Slovak football striker who played for Jednota Košice, Dukla Prague , VSS Košice , Baník Rožňava, Tatran Prešov and Družstevník Čaňa within years 1960–1979...
- Svyatoslav VakarchukSvyatoslav VakarchukSvyatoslav Yvanovych Vakarchuk is the lead vocalist of Okean Elzy, the most successful post-Soviet rock band in Ukraine. He is the son of Ivan Vakarchuk, a professor of physics at Lviv University and the former Minister of Education and Science in Ukraine....
- Yitzchok Yaakov WeissYitzchok Yaakov WeissDayan Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss , also known as the Minchas Yitzchak, was a prominent Dayan, Halachic authority and Talmudic scholar...
- Joseph Meir WeissJoseph Meir WeissJoseph Meir Weiss , also known as the Imrei Yosef after his major work, was a Hungarian rabbi and founder of the Spinka Hasidic dynasty.-Early life:Weiss was born in Munkacz, Hungary...
- Yuri YukechevYuri YukechevYuri Pavlovich Yukechev is a Russian composer and music teacher. Honoured Art Worker of the Russian Federation.-Biography:...
See also
- Zakarpattia OblastZakarpattia OblastThe Zakarpattia Oblast is an administrative oblast located in southwestern Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Uzhhorod...
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of MukacheveByzantine Catholic Eparchy of MukacheveThe Eparchy of Mukacheve is an eparchy of the Ruthenian Catholic Church, with territory located in the west of Ukraine.The eparchy, like the entire Ruthenian Catholic Church, is in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church...
- Saint Nicholas Monastery (Mukacheve)Saint Nicholas Monastery (Mukacheve)The Saint Nicholas Monastery is a monastery located on Chernecha Hora in Mukacheve.The exact date of its founding is unknown, though some believe it was founded in the late 11th century. In the 14th century the monastery was under the patronage of Fedir Koriiatovych...
- Roman Catholic Diocese of MukacheveRoman Catholic Diocese of MukacheveThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Mukacheve is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Ukraine. Antal Majnek is the current bishop of the diocese. He was appointed to the See of Mukacheve in 1997.-History:...
External links
- mukachevo.net - Mukachevo city portal
- Newspaper "Mukachivsjka Ratusha" Official news Mukachevo Mayor
- Mukachevo News, Panorama Mukachevo - http://panorama-mukachevo.com
- Mukacheve, Ukraine (Munkács, HU) ShtetLink on JewishGen.org
- gazeta-mukachevo.com - Mukachevo-news online
- The Palanok Castle - Pictures of the Palanok castle and view on Mukachevo from Sergey Sorokin - a private mountain guide
- Mukachiv in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine
- zamokpalanok.mk.uz.ua - Site dedicated to the Palanok Castle
- Google maps - Mukachevo
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Jewish Community of Munkacs
- A Jewish Community in the Carpathian Mountains- The Story of Munkács - Yad Vashem
- A Film of Jewish Life in Munkacs
- security agency "schit"
- Mukachevo. Travel plan - What is worth to see in Mukachevo
- Mukacheve - ShtetLink
- This article incorporates text from the United States Holocaust Memorial MuseumUnited States Holocaust Memorial MuseumThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history...
, and has been released under the GFDL.