The settlement of Jews in Tállya dates back to the mid-18^th century. The first Jews to settle in the vicinity lived in the neighbouring village of Golop, belonging to the Vay-estate, where they acquired the right to distil spirits. Their relocation was made possible by becoming tenants of the landlord and leasing the noble’s privilege to pursue the occupation. Later, in the early 19th century, Jews were also allowed to take up residence on the lands of Baron Maillot, in Tállya, and the majority of the arriving Jews came from the neighbouring Golop. In 1811, there were already 50 Jewish families (275 individuals) living there.

In 1840, with 340 people, representing 6.3% of the population, this was already the largest Jewish community of the district after Mád. The largest Jewish population was recorded in 1880: 420 people, 11.5% of all local residents.

The community managed to accommodate all the institutions of religious life in the village: there was a kosher butcher, a mikveh (ritual bath), a cheder (elementary school), and a yeshiva (religious high school). Interestingly, due to local conditions, in 1892, out of 14 innkeepers in the village, 13 were Jewish, while out of five wine merchants, only two were Jewish. This meant that just as many Jews were engaged in running inns as there were tinsmiths at the time.

In the early 20^th century, there was a period when three synagogues operated in the village, although two were presumably Hasidic prayer houses, showing evidence of the Hasidic movement’s appearance in Tállya.

In the following decades after the turn of the century, like in other settlements in the region, the Jewish population began to decline. By 1941, the documents only show 173 Jews. In the same year, Jews labelled as being of “uncertain nationality” were deported from Tállya as well, and sent to Kamianets-Podilskyi, where they were handed over to the Nazi mass murderers.

During the German occupation of Hungary, on March 19, 1944, a census recorded 143 Jewish individuals in Tállya. The relocation of the Jewish population in the region to ghettos began that year on the 15^th of April. The Jewish residents of Tállya were transferred to the Miskolc ghetto, from where they were deported to death camps. In 1945, barely thirty survivors returned to Tállya, including some who had not lived in the village before. The synagogue, used as a stable during the war, was cleaned, the mikveh (ritual bath) and the tombstones in the cemetery were restored. A memorial plaque with the names of the martyrs was placed on the wall of the synagogue. Nevertheless, the diminished community members found it difficult to continue their lives in the town, and by the late 1950s, most of them had left Tállya. The majority emigrated to Israel or the United States, but some remained in the country, settling in Budapest and other larger cities.

The Tállya Synagogue

Situated in the area bordered by Bercsényi utca, Kazinczy utca, Kossuth utca, and Rákóczi utca, referred to as the “Jewish quarter”, the synagogue was built in 1845. Architecturally, it resembled the synagogues of nearby settlements, Mád and Tarcal. Behind its simple exterior, it concealed a richly decorated interior. According to one account, it was richly decorated inside. There was, for example, a lifelike eagle with outspread wings on the ceiling, with a ner tamid (sanctuary lamp) hanging from its talons. The Torah ark, intricately carved, had two lions seated around the tablets on top. On certain holidays the ark was covered with a parochet (curtain) made from a rug, which had been a gift from the family of count Andrássy. The synagogue burned down in 1868, and was then reconstructed in 1871.

In 1964, the synagogue was dismantled. Nothing now marks its location at Kazinczy utca 8. The memorial plaques erected in it after the war were transferred to the Jewish Museum in Budapest.

PHOTOS:

1. Tállya synagogue, Northwest facade, 1964, Hungarian Museum of Architecture and Monument Protection Documentation Center, Photo Archive. Source: link Accessed: October 20, 2023.
2. Torah ark of the Tállya synagogue, before 1944. Hungarian Museum of Architecture and Monument Protection Documentation Center, Photo Archive. Source: link Accessed: October 20, 2023.

The Tállya Jewish Cemetery
(Located more than 2 kms from the village, in the Koldu Forest area)

The Tállya Jewish Cemetery is located more than 2 kms from the village, surrounded by a concrete wall. The Jewish community received the land as a gift from the lord’s estate in 1810. As the result of a civic initiative in 2020 by volunteers to clear up the cemetery, more than 80 tombstones were restored and identified.

Various graves belonging to prominent rabbis can be found in the cemetery, including those of the two miracle rabbis, Gerson Rosenbaum and his son, Leib Arje, whose graves are covered by an ohel (crypt-like, tent structure raised above a grave), indicating their outstanding roles within their community.

PHOTOS:

1., 2., 3.: Tállya Jewish Cemetery. Source: Juhász István, ZRVA
4. Gerson Lits Rosenbaum’ tombstone. Hungarian Museum of Architecture and Monument Protection Documentation Center, Photo Archive. Source: Galamb Zsuzsanna, 2018 link Accessed: October 20, 2023.
5. Lipót Rosenbaum’s tombstone. Hungarian Museum of Architecture and Monument Protection Documentation Center, Photo Archive. Source: Galamb Zsuzsanna, 2018 link Accessed: October 20, 2023.