This is a list of Hungarian Jews. There has been a Jewish presence in today's Hungary since Roman times (bar a brief expulsion during the Black Death), long before the actual Hungarian nation. Jews fared particularly well under the Ottoman Empire, and after emancipation in 1867. At its height, the Jewish population of historical Hungary numbered more than 900,000, but the Holocaust and emigration, especially during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, has reduced that to around 100,000, most of whom live in Budapest and its suburbs.
This is a list of anyone who could be reliably described as "Hungarian" and is of significant Jewish heritage (ethnic or religious). See List of Hungarian Americans for descendants of Hungarian émigrés born in America, a significant number of whom are of Jewish ancestry.
The names are presented in the Western European convention of the given name preceding the family name, whereas in Hungary, the reverse is true, as in most Asian cultures.
Historical figures
Leó Frankel, one of the leaders of the Paris Commune Gyula Germanus, islamologist, (non-Jewish mother, Jewish father) Ignác Goldziher, islamologist Tivadar Herzl (Theodor Herzl), "the spiritual father of the Jewish State". Béla Kun, de facto leader of Hungary for 4 months in 1919 (non-Jewish mother, Jewish father) Max Nordau, co-founder of the World Zionist Organization Tom Lantos György Lukács Trebitsch Lincoln, British adventurer Georges Politzer Joseph Pulitzer, newspaper publisher Sándor Radó (Alexander Radó) Switzerland-based Soviet master spy in World War II Mátyás Rákosi, de facto leader of Hungary, 1947–1956 Ervin Szabó director of the Budapest Public Library System, 1911–1918 Tibor Szamuely, politician Ármin Vámbéry, orientalist and traveler Vilmos Vázsonyi, first Jewish Justice minister of Hungary, 1917–1918 Félix Somló, legal scholar known for his contributions to the Hungarian Legal Philosophy, 1873–1920
Athletes
Boxing
György Gedó, Olympic champion light flyweight
Canoeing László Fábián, sprint canoer, Olympic champion (K-2 10,000 meter), 4× world champion (3× K-2 10,000 meter and 1× K-4 10,000 meter) and one silver (K-4 10,000 meter)Taylor, Jews and the Olympic Games, p. 228. Imre Farkas, sprint canoer, 2× Olympic bronze (C-2 1,000 and 10,000 meter) Klára Fried-Bánfalvi, sprint canoer, Olympic bronze (K-2 500 m), world champion (K-2 500 m)Taylor, Jews and the Olympic Games, p. 229. Anna Pfeffer, sprint canoer, Olympic 2× silver (K-2 500 m), bronze (K-1 500 m); world champion (K-2 500 m), silver (K-4 500 m), 2× bronze (K-2 500)Taylor, Jews and the Olympic Games, p. 238.
Fencing
Péter Bakonyi (born "Buchwald", 1938), saber, Olympic 3× bronze Ilona Elek (née "Schacherer"; 1907–1988), foil fencer; Olympic gold-medal winner, and world champion, both before and after World War II Dr. Dezső Földes (1880–1950), saber, 2× Olympic champion Dr. Jenő Fuchs (1882–1955), saber, 4× Olympic champion Tamás Gábor (1932–2007), épée, Olympic champion János Garay (1889–1945), saber, Olympic champion, silver, bronze, killed by the Nazis Dr. Oskar Gerde (1883–1944), saber, 2× Olympic champion, killed by the NazisTaylor, Jews and the Olympic Games, p. 107. Dr. Sándor Gombos (1895–1968), saber, Olympic champion Endre Kabos (1906–1944), saber, 3× Olympic champion, bronze, killed while performing forced labour for the Nazis Attila Petschauer (1904–1943), saber, 2× team Olympic champion, silver, killed by the Nazis Zoltán Ozoray Schenker (1880–1966), Hungarian Olympic champion saber fencer Ildikó Újlaky-Rejtő (born 1937), foil, 2× Olympic champion Lajos Werkner (1883–1943), saber, 2× Olympic champion George Worth, born György Woittitz (1915–2006), Hungarian-born American Olympic medalist fencer
Figure skating Lily Kronberger, World Championship 4× gold, 2× bronze, World Figure Skating Hall of Fame Emília Rotter, pair skater, World Championship 4× gold, silver, 2× Olympic bronze László Szollás, pair skater, World Championship gold, silver, 2× Olympic bronze
Gymnastics
Samu Fóti, Olympic silver (team combined exercises) Imre Gellért, Olympic silver (team combined exercises) Ágnes Keleti, 5-time Olympic champion (2-time floor exercises, asymmetrical bars, floor exercises, balance beam, team exercise with portable apparatus), 3-time silver (2-time team combined exercises, individual combined exercises), 2× bronze (asymmetrical bars, team exercises with portable apparatus), International Gymnastics Hall of Fame Alice Kertész, Olympic champion (team, portable apparatus), silver (team); world silver (team)Taylor, Jews and the Olympic Games, p. 234.
Soccer (association football)
Gyula Bíró, midfielder/forward (national team) Alfréd Brüll, first owner of MTK Budapest FC Peter Fuzes, born in Hungary; soccer goalkeeper for Sydney Hakoah club and Australia, Maccabi Hall of Fame 2003. Played 1st grade 1964 till 1976; International career from 1966 to 1972, against Scotland 1967, Greece 1969, Israel 1969 & 1972. Played against various European club sides including AS ROMA 1966, Manchester United. Sándor Geller, goalkeeper, Olympic champion Béla Guttmann, midfielder, national team player, and international coach Adolf Kertész, Hungarian international Gyula Kertész (1888–1982), Hungarian international Vilmos Kertész (1890–1962), Hungarian international Gyula Mándi, half back (player & coach of Hungarian and Israeli national teams) and manager Árpád Orbán, Olympic champion
Swimming
Andrea Gyarmati, Olympic silver (100-m backstroke) and bronze (100-m butterfly); world championships bronze (200-m backstroke), International Swimming Hall of Fame (both parents half-Jewish) Alfréd Hajós (born "Arnold Guttmann"), 3× Olympic champion (100-m freestyle, 800-m freestyle relay, 1,500-m freestyle), International Swimming Hall of Fame Michael "Miki" Halika, Israel, 200-m butterfly, 200- and 400-m individual medley József Munk, Olympic silver (4x200-m freestyle relay) Rebecca Soni, her grandfather was born in Nagyvárad (now Oradea) Mark Spitz, his great-grandfather (Nathan) was born in Hungary László Szabados, Olympic bronze (4x200-m freestyle relay) András Székely, Olympic silver (200-m breaststroke) and bronze (4x200-m freestyle relay); died in a Nazi concentration camp Éva Székely, Olympic champion & silver (200-m breaststroke); International Swimming Hall of Fame; mother of Andrea Gyarmati (mother Jewish, father Roman Catholic szekler) Judit Temes, Olympic champion (4×100-m freestyle), bronze (100-m freestyle) Imre Zachár, Olympic silver (4x200-m freestyle relay)
Table tennis Viktor Barna (born "Győző Braun"), 22-time world champion, International Table Tennis Foundation Hall of Fame ("ITTFHoF") Laszlo Bellak, 7-time world champion, ITTFHoF Anna Sipos, 11-time world champion, ITTFHoF Miklós Szabados, 15-time world champion Tibor Hazi Magda Gal
Tennis Zsuzsa Körmöczy, won 1958 French Open Singles, world # 2.
Track and field
Ödön Bodor, Olympic bronze (medley relay)Taylor, Jews and the Olympic Games, p. 226. Ibolya Csák, Olympic champion & European champion high jumper Mór Kóczán, javelin, Olympic bronze (Calvinist priest)
Water polo
Robert Antal, Olympic champion István Barta, Olympic champion, gold György Bródy, (3g1b & 2g & 2g), goalkeeper, 2-time Olympic championEisen, George. "Jewish Olympic Medalists" . International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 9, 2013. Dezső Gyarmati, Olympic water polo player & captain (3g1s1b) (half Jewish) György Kárpáti, 3-time Olympic champion, 1 time bronzeTaylor, Jews and the Olympic Games, p. 93. (half Jewish) Béla Komjádi water polo player and coach, International Swimming Hall of Fame Mihály Mayer, 2-time Olympic champion, 2-time bronzeTaylor, Jews and the Olympic Games, p. 236. Miklós Sárkány, 2-time Olympic champion Iván Somlai, 1976 Olympic Assistant Coach and Game Plan Manager of Team Canada
Wrestling Károly Kárpáti (also "Károly Kellner"), Olympic champion (freestyle lightweight), silver
Other sports Paul Havas, Columbia quarterback Ferenc Kemény, co-founder and first secretary of the IOC"Ferenc Kemeny (Kauffmann)" . International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 9, 2013. László Bartók, Rowing (Paris 1924 eight and coxed four, Amsterdam 1928 coxed four) and 1932 men's coxless four European Rowing Champion
Olympic gold medalists at the Summer Games Period 1896-1912 1924-1936 1948-1956 1960-1972 1976-1992 (1984 excluded) 1996-2008 # of Olympics 5 4 3 4 4 4 Total Golds 442 482 440 684 9031172 Hungarian Golds 11 22 35 32 33 26 Hungarian/total World 2.49% 4.56% 7.95% 4.68% 3.65% 2.22% Hungarian Individual Gold 9 17 26 22 27 16 Hungarian Jewish Individual 5 3 6 4 0 0 Jewish/total individual Hungarian 55.56% 17.65% 23.08% 18.18% 0% 0% Jews in Gold Teams 57.14% = 8/14 28.21%= 11/39 Jews in population 5.0% (1910) 5.12% (1930) 1.45% (1949) 0.13% (2001)
Before the Holocaust
Hungarian Jews, while comprising some 5% of the population of Hungary, won 8 individual gold medals for Hungary out of 26 (30.8%) in the Olympic sports events between 1896 and 1936. In each of the 7 gold winning teams, there were Hungarian Jews making up 35.8% of the teams (19 out of 53 team members).
1896 Alfréd Hajós-Guttman (2) swimming, 100-meter freestyle, 1,500-meter freestyle
1906 Alfréd Hajós-Guttman, swimming, 800-meter freestyle relay
1908 Dezső Földes, fencing, team saber Dr.Jenő Fuchs (2), fencing, individual saber, team saber Dr. Oszkár Gerde, fencing, team saber Lajos Werkner, fencing, team saber Richard Weisz, Greco-Roman wrestling, heavyweight
1912 Dezső Földes, fencing, team saber Dr. Jenő Fuchs (2), fencing, individual saber, team saber Dr. Oszkár Gerde, fencing, team saber Lajos Werkner, fencing, team saber
1924 Alfred Hajós, Olympic art competition, architecture Gyula Halasy, Gold Medal, Individual Trap Competition
1928 János Garay, fencing, team saber Dr. Sándor Gombos, fencing, team saber Attila Petschauer, fencing, team saber Dr. Ferenc Mező, Olympic art competition, epic works
1932 István Barta, water polo György Brody, water polo Miklós Sárkány, water polo Endre Kabos, fencing, team saber Attila Petschauer, fencing, team saber
1936 György Bródy, water polo Miklos Sárkány, water polo Endre Kabos (2), fencing, individual saber, team saber Ilona Elek, individual foil Károly Kárpáti, freestyle wrestling, lightweight
After the Holocaust, 1948-1972
After the Holocaust, less than 1% of the population of Hungary remained of Jewish heritage. In individual sports events, Hungary won 48 gold medals between 1948 and 1972. Sportsmen and mainly sportswomen of Jewish extraction won 10 gold medals (20.8%). Hungarian Jewish women won 7 gold medals out of the 15 individual gold medals won by Hungarian women. In the 19 gold medal-winning teams for Hungary, 9 had Jewish members.
There are no known Hungarian Jewish gold medalist since 1976. Overall, Hungarian Jews won 15.4% of the 117 individual gold medals of Hungary, and had part in at least 16 out of the 42 gold medals in team events.
1948 Ilona Elek, individual foil
1952 Robert Antal, water polo Sándor Gellér, soccer Ágnes Keleti, gymnastics, floor exercises Éva Székely, swimming, 200-meter breaststroke
1956 Ágnes Keleti (4) gymnastics, asymmetrical bars, floor exercises, balance beam, team exercise with portable apparatus Aliz Kertész, gymnastics, team exercise with portable apparatus László Fábián, kayak pairs, 10,000-meters
1960 Gyula Török, boxing, flyweight
1964 Tamás Gábor, fencing, team épée Ildikó Rejtő (2), fencing, individual and team foil Árpád Orbán, soccer
1968 Mihály Hesz, kayak, K1 1000m
1972 Gyorgy Gedó, boxing, light flyweight
Artists
Imre Ámos, painter, born 1907 in Nagykálló, killed during the Holocaust Robert Capa, photographer Béla Czóbel Adolf Fényes"Fenyes, Adolf" . Terminartors. Retrieved May 9, 2013.