Cult or spirit? Integration strategies and history of memory in Jewish groups in Hungary at the turn of the 19th-20th century

Zima, András (2008) Cult or spirit? Integration strategies and history of memory in Jewish groups in Hungary at the turn of the 19th-20th century. Acta Ethnographica Hungarica, 53 (2). pp. 243-262. ISSN 1216-9803

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Abstract

At the turn of the 19th–20th century the different Jewish groups in Hungary had to face many challenges. They had to reconcile the demands made by modernity and the majority society with their own group interests. The changing environment endangered the survival of the group and questioned its basic values. There were big differences in the modernisation strategies of the Jewish groups examined (Neology, Budapest Orthodox, Zionists). Religion, as the primary determinant of value, shifted from the community sphere to the private sphere and lost some of its importance. History became the new model for interpretation of the world, that could be manifested at community level. Cultural memory based on shared history became the most important adhesive force of the group. The press, the most important attitude-shaping communication media of the period, played a major role in preserving and strengthening memory.

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