Bla BAK: The Modern Anti-Semitism as Cultural Code with Special Focus on the Hungarian Christian Press in the

Early 20th Century.

The first thing what an average person think hearing the world anti-Semitism is the 2nd World War, Auswitz, the Endlsung or the Holocaust.1 However the term of the modern anti-Semitism is an earlier phenomenon. This phenomenon contains in one hand direct (economical and political) tempers; religious elements of the collective memory; universal ideological goods of the communities; social determined stereotypes; or the fear from the anthropological or culturally different ethnic group.2 In my opinion in spite of the modern anti-Semitism can be well separated from the ancient negative stereotypes of the Jews the negative picturesque of the Jews is a result of a long term process. In the period of the Jewish emancipation in the late 19th century didnt manifest as direct as in the mid 20th century, but the anti-Semitism mainly under the surface took part in the Hungarian political-, economical- and cultural life. The antiSemitic topics still remain, where the Jewish religious-cultural group manifest based upon the scapegoat-effect in a metaphoric way.3 The functional models of the modern Anti-Semitism The first task for understanding the topic is to describe the functional models of the modern anti-Semitism. The first and widest model is the cultural code that symbolizes many negative phenomenons in society. The term: code is verified in one hand because it uses metaphors for the Jewish, the metaphors for evil. The curiosity of these metaphors is that they have no connection to reality; they have no connection to the real Jew-non-Jew relations. On the other hand this is a social construction, the theses are symbolic terms with negative stereotypes, and they have no real continuity to the historical practice of the aggression against Jews. We can identify verbal (symbolic) aggression in the cultural code of judeofobia. It builds a complex system of ethnic stereotypes.4

The world Holocaust is also not t he best term, because this world means religious sacrifice, and the facts of the 2nd World War are more like a genocide. The Jews themselves use the word So for the holocaust that means genocide. 2 (Kardy, nazonosts, sorsvlaszts A zsid csoportazonossg trtnelmi alakvltozsai Magyarorszgon., 2001., old.: 40.) 3 cf. (Bak, A modern antiszemitizmus vzlata. A zsidkrds XX. Szzadi alakvltozsai, 2008.) 4 (Kardy, Zsidsg Eurpban a modern korban, 2000., old.: 345.)

The second model of the anti-Jew aggression can be separated from the first on the target. The first model is an average phenomenon; this model is different because this targets concrete Jewish people or small communities. This is a more or less acceptable form of declining the Jews. Moreover in particular groups this can be a legal and honoured phenomenon, primarily in organized or constructed mass-hysteria (cf. blood-libel in Tiszaeszlr).5 In these situations the aggression was legal against the stranger-determined Jews. In practice this could mean the discriminating, the abusing the Jews, but it can manifest in exile or deportation. We can define this kind of anti-Semitic process as some kind of legitimate practice of a self-targeted aggression.6 The third functional model uses the same tools as the first two. The target here is to create some kind of authority or prestige of the uninfluenced social classes. For example the Nazi ideology supported lumpenproletariat member of the Arrow-Cross not only anti-Semitic because he thinks that this is the right ideology, but also with this can be a satisfaction of his social determination that otherwise exclude him from any kind of authority.7 The fourth functional model of the modern anti-Semitism based upon that idea-system what puts the blame on the Jews for every problem in the society. In this scapegoatconception the Jews are the absolute injurious elements of the society, so everything can be exteriorized to them what not working or can be justified bad. That historical fact also contributes to the scapegoat-role that Jews can often represented in organizers of the modernisation. And in the manifestations of the scapegoat-function the Jews are strongly connected with modernism and its miserable consequences. This conception blames the Jews for the drawbacks of capitalism and communism, in many cases simultaneously. The assault are aimed directly at the Jews, but indirectly it fuses and it represented more general with the criticism of the western democracy, the economical liberalism, the soviets, the Freemasonry, the feminism or any other tendencies of modernism. In the pre-So era this kind of anti-Semitism often contains anti-urbanity or anti-achievement of middle-class status (cf. the Horthy-eras guilty-Budapest term), or cultural conservatism, or nostalgic elements of the pre-industrial societies.8 The last functional model of modern anti-Semitism connected to the political and ideological correlations between Jews and non-Jews. These political affairs are strongly permeated with primer hate. The Jews were supported by the philosophical movement of
5 6

This happened in the time of the Russian pogrom sin the 19th and the 20th century. (Kardy, Zsidsg Eurpban a modern korban, 2000., old.: 346-347.) 7 (Kardy, Zsidsg Eurpban a modern korban, 2000., old.: 347-348.) 8 (Kardy, Zsidsg Eurpban a modern korban, 2000., old.: 349-350.)

enlightenment, the liberalism or the Freemasonry. Therefore the political anti-Semitism was supported by the conservative, anti-modernist, anti-enlightenment circles. 9 The old-new topics of the modern Anti-Semitism In this part the focus is the representation of the old-new toposes that reference points are the new relation-system between Jews and non-Jews in the modernizing Europe. The oldest, frequently manifesting pattern is the Jewish conspiracy. The power and authority of the Jews in modernizing nation-states was a good base for the reconstruction of the world-conspiracy theory. On the other hand as a determined prophecy this is the translation of the Jewish self-defence to an anti-Semitic rhetoric.10 The work of Augustin Barruel11 defined first in the modern era the ancient topos of the universal Jewish danger. The main thematic element is the hidden collaboration of the Jews for the suppression of the Christians. This topos contains permanent anti-Christian activity, treachery, espionage, but significant element for example the condemnation of the Freemasonry.12 Another part of this topos is scapegoating the Jews for the negative effects of capitalism. This theory is based upon the fact, that generally the Jews were highly represented in most of the sectors of the free-market economy. The next topos can be identified in the ethnic status of the minority groups. The antiSemitic rhetoric can find several point of reference against the assimilated and nationalized Jews. One is the indictment of anti-nationality. The Jews because of their international economic and cultural networks were suspected of cosmopolitism; therefore they were suspected of anti-nationality or unfamiliarity of nation.13 And last we have to mention the theories of roots and tradition. This theory has three varieties: the restriction to the territory, the cult of the cultural characteristics and the lineage community-consciousness.14 Yet the first element creates the possibility to stigmatize the Jews as strangers. The second element develop this foundation with the notion that the Jews are not able to assimilate because of their stranger in the anti-Semitic rhetoric means nonChristian culture. And the third element presents that the Jews are unable to assimilate,

(Kardy, Zsidsg Eurpban a modern korban, 2000., old.: 352-353.) (Kardy, Zsidsg Eurpban a modern korban, 2000., old.: 355.) 11 (Barruel, 1807.) 12 (Kardy, Zsidsg Eurpban a modern korban, 2000., old.: 355-356.) 13 (Kardy, Zsidsg Eurpban a modern korban, 2000., old.: 359-360.) 14 (Kardy, Zsidsg Eurpban a modern korban, 2000., old.: 361.)
10

because the most successful linguistic-cultural emancipation neither contains the vibrations of the national spirit.15 The manifestations of the modern Anti-Semitism in the 20th century The anti-Semitic manifestations of the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century can be separated to three sections. The first that I mention economical anti-Semitism is where the cultural codes addressed to the participants of the economic sector. This has a strong connection with that functional model of the modern anti-Semitism that the economically deprived individuals or groups target their scapegoating ideology for receiving wider social support.16 Another section is the political anti-Semitism that similar to the previous section tries to obtain social supporting with scapegoating. Some kind of political ideology obtains political power using cultural codes. The difference from the first section is that in these cases the anti-Semitism manifests always as an accompanying phenomenon of a political ideology.17 The third section is the cultural anti-Semitism that tries to assault the Jews with the accusation of anti-nationalism and cosmopolitism against national identity (ideology). This ideology reached their culmination in the beginning of the 20th century in the de-Jewished Jew literature.18 The economical Anti-Semitism From the late 19th Jews can be found in the rising sectors of society, far from the traditional agrarian- and administrative professions. The Jews have extraordinary profession-competency in the fields of rational operations of the capital, finance or investment. 19 The management of the capital and finance, the flexibility of the entrepreneurship, the utilization of the new market-possibilities are characteristic attributes of the market-attitudes of the Jews.20 On the other hand we have to mention, that the Jews were excluded from the protected sectors of the feudal society (e.g. farming, officiality. military services etc.).21

15 16

(Kardy, Zsidsg Eurpban a modern korban, 2000., old.: 362.) (Bak, A modern antiszemitizmus vzlata. A zsidkrds XX. Szzadi alakvltozsai, 2008.) 17 (Bak, A modern antiszemitizmus vzlata. A zsidkrds XX. Szzadi alakvltozsai, 2008.) 18 (Heller, 1997., old.: 163.) 19 (Bri-Lichtner, 1995., old.: 88.) 20 (Bri-Lichtner, 1995., old.: 89.) 21 The only exception was the medical doctoral work from II. Josef. (Kardy, Zsidsg, modernizci, polgrosods, 1997., old.: 90.)

The property-purchasing prohibition has the similar role. Jewish merchants and craftsman could be renters instead of owners.22 From this we can identify that the entrepreneur-spirit comes from the compensations of the Jews discriminations.23 This was a paradox situation. Jews could compensate the economical discrimination with entrepreneurship but as a consequence they became manufacturers, industrialists or owners of considerable money capital that inflames more the anti-Semitic atmosphere. This manifest in different parts of society (e.g. in the Christian Press in Szombathely we can identify the discriminative attitude against Jews that manifests in the question of the modernisation, as the Szombathelyi jsg wrote (Zsidkrds bz ez, mert ebben az rban sz emberek 9/10 rsze a Mzeshitek modernizlt rszhez tartozik24). The language of flowers mentioned that the agrarian-interests oppose with mercantile-interests, but it was unquestionable that in this affair is the opposition between agrarian-Christian and mercantile-Jew, or the opposition between agrarian-national and mercantile-cosmopolite. The active-capital was cosmopolite-capital, and the active (stranger), rootless (cosmopolite)-capital was the synonym of Jewish-capital.25 The political Anti-Semitism Of course in politics we can also identify that paradox dualism. The liberal Hungarian aristocratic nationalism confederated with the rapidly assimilated Jews because with this they also got a modern economical and intellectual hinterland.26 On the other hand the resentment against the Jews also appeared as it was general everywhere, where the modernisation-evoked dynamism pushed the post-feudal classes into disadvantageous positions.27 Because of this the contemporary politics indicated modernisation in a negative way for strengthens their own positions. (This can also identify in the Christian press: Istenem mennyi szabadelv ember s szabadelvsg. De melyik az igazi? egyik sem a blcs Nthn gyrje. Talmi, lszabadelvsg mind. Mi npprtiak pedig igenis nem vagyunk ebben az rtelemben szabadelvek. Mi keresztnyek, katholikusok, Krisztushvk vagyunk, mi nem krnk semmifle Nthn rkbl, mi Krisztus rk rkben lnk s

22 23

(Bri-Lichtner, 1995., old.: 90.) (Bak, Nemzetflts, keresztnysg, antiszemitizmus. A kulturlis kd az 1. vilghbor eltti szombathelyi keresztny sajtban, 2007.) 24 (Szombathelyi Ujsg, 1913.) 25 (Bri-Lichtner, 1995., old.: 314.) 26 (Csepeli, 1998., old.: 111.) 27 (Csepeli, 1998., old.: 112-113.)

bzunk s dolgozunk. Hadd versenyezzenek a szabadelvek hallig a zsidk bartsgrt. Mi a keresztny np szeretetvel s szeretetrt harcolunk.28) To summarize the political side of the modern anti-Semitism emerged not because the hate and fear of the Jews was rising but it emerged because of their own political position. It tried to oppose the traditional values against modernization, but behind the rhetoric it was the same as the economical anti-Semitism: the Christian-nation state against the cosmopolite and rootless Jews. The cultural Anti-Semitism The representation of the Jews in the cultural life in the late 19th century was dominant. In the turn of the century another Jewish enemy symbol emerged and it was the civic intellectual.29 The Jews has also a dominant role in funding the modern Hungarian press that stigmatized by the anti-Semitists as Jewish-press. The press in the turn of the century was different from the middle of the century, because this was not the classic political journalism. Because there were no concurrent medium, the press was the only forum of publicity, it has a monopole role in the forming of the world-view outside the political sphere and the broadcasting of the high culture. The press became the agent of the public opinion, more than the earlier ages. This change has a strong connection to the Jews.30 From the legendary characters we have to mention Adolf gai with his weekly paper Borsszem Jank the Hungarian Canard Enchain created a new literary genre, the caricature-supported acrid society-critics; or Simon Tolnai, the father of the Tolnai Vilglapja magazine.31 In the literature another strange situation developed: Jewish writers practically had forgotten to present their Jewish protagonists Jewish identity. gnes Heller in her essay, titled de-jewification in the Hungarian Literature (Zsidtlants a Magyar irodalomban) evokes the Jewish talent behind a mask literary topos, and she claims that statement that the Hungarian Jewish writers falsify their Jewish protagonists Jewish identity, and represent them as non-Jews.32

28 29

(Szombathelyi Ujsg, 1911.) Intellectual in this case is not intelligentsia in general, but a kind of type inside. This is similar to a freelancer intelligentsia (lateiner). More fully see: (Csepeli, 1998., old.: 114-115.) 30 (Bak, A kulturlis antiszemitizmus az els vilghbor eltti Szombathelyen, 2008.) 31 (Fejt, 2000., old.: 144.) 32 (Ungvri, 1999., old.: 307-308.)

It is possible, that the Jewish literacy but we can mention the other sectors of the culture breaks the representation of the Jews because in the radical, conservative opposing partys the anti-Semitism or the followers of the racist theories accusations there were distinguished place of the Hungarian cultures Jewifacation. (This can be also identified in the local press, in the Szombathelyi jsg also: Molnr Ferenc: "Nem meri az r bevallani, hogy zsid s mindegy szves elnzsnket kri, hogy ne is tekintjk ket zsidknak. Ez a ktrtelmsg miatt nem tudunk vele azonosulni.33) In the belles-lettres and in the press also manifest the fear from Verjudung. The spectre of the Jewish press haunted from the early 19th century till Lszl Nmeth and Gyula Illys was important element of the accusations against the Jews. Most of them were fake identification, but we have to remark that what we mention the spirit of the modernisation in this we can also identify the power of the assimilated Jews.34 This picture will be not complete if we didnt mention the role of the Jews in the modernisation of the Hungarian language. In this era the Hungarian language became more urbanized, especially the formation of the specific Pester language. Its not chiefly Hebrew or Yiddish influence although our todays spoken language keeps some elements of expressions or emphasises.35 The prostitution is a picturesque example how the anti-Semitism present the urban space as the moral Jewish rotting. It wasnt a new phenomenon in Hungary also, despite for example Pressevich mentioned the prostitutes as the butterflies of Hebron flying on the wings of the women emancipation that leads from the national character to the unfamiliar cosmopolitism (A zsidknak ez a kozmopolitizmusa [] trt hdt, st mr bent is van a magyar trsadalom minden nyilvnulsban, bent van erklcseiben, a csaldban, a hivatalban, a kzletben, a kultrban; bent van a szalonban, az utcn, a sznhzban, a dalban, a kaszinban, a sportban, a blban, egyszval mindentt.36). At the same time the cultural anti-Semitism not only connected to the capital city that good represented in a contemporary article in the Szombathelyi jsg that represents a local form of the picturesque of the guilty Budapest (Erklcsk? Van-e ilyen oly orszgban, ahol az abszinth, ez a testet l plinka s a pornogrfia (piszok irodalom) a nemzetnevel

33 34

(Szombathelyi Ujsg, 1913.) (Ungvri, 1999., old.: 331-332.) 35 (Fejt, 2000., old.: 145.) 36 (Petrsevich, 1904., old.: 174.)

eszkz.A legszomorbb jelensg, ktsgkvl az, hogy a nyiltan hirdetett erklcstelensg az ifjsgot, a jv nemzedkt is mtelyezi.37). Capitalism was a Jewish thing. The anti-Semitic rhetoric decided that the modern literature, the new art and the avant-garde also Jewish things.38 Of course this is not fit to reality. Its true, that we can find many Jewish people among the representatives of writers, actors, artists, critics, but not only were they fought. Next to Ignotus we can also find Zoltn Ambrus or Gza Grdonyi whos also assaulted by conservative nationalist in the turn of the century. Epilogue Although it was cherished from the past, the movement against the Jews started in the late 19th century and at the end it led into the modern anti-Semitism of the 20th century. This ideological wave still remains in todays society. The actors of the ideology are changing, but the cultural codes remains. This complex symbolic-system, that born in the 19th century in the European-notion also actual for today. The toposes that mentioned in my essay are such social-problems that determined the mentality of the modern anti-Semitism, created it, cherished it through epochs, and leaded to the collapse of the Jewish emancipation. These anti-assimilate viewpoints was the roots of the anti-Semitic ideologies that generated strong-minded attitude against the Jews in the beginning of the 20th century, and that leaded into racist ideologies in the mid 20th century.

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37 38

(Szombathelyi Ujsg, 1912.) (Fejt, 2000., old.: 149.)

Bak, B. (2008.). A modern antiszemitizmus vzlata. A zsidkrds XX. Szzadi alakvltozsai. Szombathely-Kszeg. Barruel, A. (1807.). Emlkiratok a jakobinizmus trtnetnek tanulmnyozshoz. Bri-Lichtner, J. (1995.). Egyttls A zsidsg szerepe Magyarorszg legjabbkori trtnetben 1790-1918. Budapest. Csepeli, G. (1998.). Eltlet s antiszemitizmus. Budapest. Fejt, F. (2000.). Magyarsg, zsidsg. Budapest. Heller, . (1997.). Az idegen. New-York-Budapest. Kardy, V. (1997.). Zsidsg, modernizci, polgrosods. Pcs. Kardy, V. (2000.). Zsidsg Eurpban a modern korban. Budapest. Kardy, V. (2001.). nazonosts, sorsvlaszts A zsid csoportazonossg trtnelmi alakvltozsai Magyarorszgon. Budapest. Petrsevich, G. (1904.). Zsid fldbirtokosok s brlk Magyarorszgon. Budapest. Ungvri, T. (1999.). Ahasvrus s Shylock A zsid krds Magyarorszgon. Budapest.