Remembering the Yellow Star houses

THIS Saturday, June 21st, marks the 70th anniversary of the forcible relocation of Budapest’s Jews. Around 220,000 Jews, including those who had converted to Christianity, were moved out of their homes, to 2,000 apartment buildings designated as ‘Yellow Star Houses’. Those buildings’ gentile inhabitants were then forced to leave.

The Yellow Star Houses project, organised by the Open Society Archives, has constructed an inter-active map where survivors and former residents can tell their stories. Around three-quarters of the buildings are still standing. It’s an ambitious attempt to construct a city-wide memory bank of the darkest period in Budapest’s history. From the Yellow Star houses, Budapest’s Jews were then relocated again, to two ghettos, until the arrival of the Soviet army in January 1945. Fewer than half of Budapest’s Jews survived the war.

Saturday’s commemorations include readings, concerts, performances and walks. There will be ceremonies for the foreign diplomats who...Continue reading