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Ghettos: Decree on the Establishment of the Budapest Ghetto

(November 29, 1944)

The Royal Hungarian Government orders all Jews compelled to wear the Yellow Star to relocate into the area bounded by Dohany, Nagyatadi Szabo Istvan, Kiraly, Csanyi (No. 3-6), and Rumbach Sebestyen (No.15-19) Streets, Madach Imre Road, Madach Imre Square, and Karoly Kiraly Streets in District VII of Budapest, and the separation of the territory assigned to the Jews (the ghetto) from the territory inhabited by non-Jews. The buildings facing the streets and roads specified as boundaries are not included in the area assigned to the Jews.

Non-Jews may not live in the areas assigned to Jews and may not work there, and authorities and public institutions may not have offices in these areas.

In this life-and-death struggle, which may decide the fate of the Hungarians for centuries to come, all of us must make sacrifices. The government is aware of the extraordinary difficulties that are bound to be experienced by the non-Jewish population scheduled for resettlement. With a firm belief in a better future and as a pledge for victory, we must bear this sacrifice.

I shall see to it that the resettled non-Jewish residents (owners, tenants, beneficiaries, Christian custodians or superintendents, etc.) shall receive apartments equivalent to those they were compelled to leave, on the Pest side of the city.

If possible, non-Jewish lodgers of resettled tenants will be resettled along with them into the same apartments. Non-Jewish lodgers in the apartments of Jews being resettled may remain in the apartments for the time being; in accordance with the rule in effect, they must enter into new agreements with the new tenants of the apartments. However, the new tenants shall have the right to cancel the agreement within 15 days. Lodgers entitled to leases may be assigned apartments after completion of the resettlement…

Non-Jews must leave the area assigned to Jews between December 2 and December 7.

[Signed by Vajna].


Sources: R. Braham, "The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary," Vol. II, New York, 1981, pp. 979-980.  Yad Vashem.