Rescue Operations in Hungary in Yad Vashem Studies, Volume XXXII

Rescue Operations in Hungary: Myths and Realities

A critical-analytical overview is presented of postwar historical accounts relating to the rescue of Jews during the German occupation of Hungary, focusing on the following six major operations: The rescue of the Jews of Budapest; the rescue of 1,684 Jews in the Kasztner-transport; the transfer of 18,000 Jews to Strasshof; the rescue of communal and ecclesiastical leaders by Philip Freudiger; the rescue of the Weiss-Chorin families; and the alleged mass rescue of Jews across the Hungarian-Romanian border. The study includes critical observations about the motivations, objectives, strategies and tactics of the Jewish, Hungarian, and German participants involved in the negotiations and/or decisions relating to the various rescue operations, differentiating between the myths and realities that were reflected in many postwar accounts.