József Fischer (15 December 1887 – 1952) was a Hungarian and Romanian lawyer and politician of Jewish ethnicity. He was a prominent leader of the

Jewish National Party The Jewish National Party (german: Jüdischnationale Partei) was an Austrian political party of the Jewish minority. History A Jewish National Party () was already founded in 1892 at Lemberg (''Lviv''), then the capital of the Austrian Kingdo ...

in interwar Romania. In this capacity, he was a member of the Assembly of Deputies from 1928 to 1933. He served as head of the

Judenrat A ''Judenrat'' (, "Jewish council") was a World War II administrative agency imposed by Nazi Germany on Jewish communities across occupied Europe, principally within the Nazi ghettos. The Germans required Jews to form a ''Judenrat'' in every com ...

Kolozsvár Ghetto The Kolozsvár Ghetto was one of the lesser-known Jewish ghettos of the World War II era. The ghetto was located in the city of Kolozsvár, then Kingdom of Hungary (now Cluj-Napoca, Romania). Between the signing of the Treaty of Trianon in 1920 an ...

during

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

Early life

József Fischer was born into a wealthy

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

family in Tiszaújhely,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(present-day Nove Selo,

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

) on 15 December 1887. According to one account, one of his brothers was Tivadar Fischer, co-founder of the Jewish Party. Allegedly they were sons of a rabbi from

Alba Iulia Alba Iulia (; german: Karlsburg or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; hu, Gyulafehérvár; la, Apulum) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the Mureș River in the historical ...

, stranded in Romania upon the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Historian Attila Gidó writes that they were unrelated by blood, but united by their common defense of Orthodox Judaism; initially, József Fischer had been a critic of

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...

, before being drawn into it by other Transylvanian activists, to become "one of Transylvanian Zionism's most important personalities". After taking his bar exam, he worked as a lawyer clerk at the law firm of

Vilmos Vázsonyi Vilmos Vázsonyi (born as Vilmos Weiszfeld; 1868–1926) was a Hungarian publicist and politician of Jewish heritage. Vázsonyi was born at Sümeg. He was educated at Budapest, where his remarkable eloquence made him the leader of all studen ...

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

. Fischer moved to

Kolozsvár ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Status , subdivision_name2 = County seat , settlement_type = City , le ...

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

(Cluj; present-day Cluj-Napoca, Romania) in 1913. Following the end of World War I and

dissolution of Austria-Hungary The dissolution of Austria-Hungary was a major geopolitical event that occurred as a result of the growth of internal social contradictions and the separation of different parts of Austria-Hungary. The reason for the collapse of the state was Worl ...

in 1918–1920, Fischer remained in Transylvania, which became part of the

Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...

. He functioned as editor-in-chief of ''

Új Kelet ''Új Kelet'' ( Hungarian translation: "New East") is a Hungarian-language Zionist Jewish newspaper published first in Kolozsvár (Cluj) in Transylvania, Romania, and reestablished after a 10-year break in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1948. Under the ini ...

'', a Hungarian-language Zionist Jewish periodical in Cluj, from 1919 to 1921. He was elected president of the Neolog Jew congregation of Cluj in 1919. He held this position until 1944.

Political career

Fischer was a founding member of the Transylvanian Jewish National League (EZNSz/UNET), serving its president from 1923 to 1930. In this capacity, he was a close associate of Tivadar Fischer and

Adolphe Stern Adolphe Stern (November 17, 1848 – October 18, 1931) was a Jewish-Romanian lawyer and politician. Life Stern was born on November 17, 1848 in Bucharest, Romania. The son of a jeweler, Stern went to study law in Berlin after finishing high sch ...

. They founded their organization because they had expressed their opposition to the Union of Native Jews (UER) as early as 1923, calling for its transformation into a "general union" of loosely affiliated bodies. Against the position taken by pro-UER Transylvanians such as Miksa Klein, they advised in favor of

communitarianism Communitarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. Its overriding philosophy is based upon the belief that a person's social identity and personality are largely molded by community relati ...

, rejecting assimilation into the Romanian mainstream. As noted by political scientist

Randolph L. Braham Randolph Lewis Braham (December 20, 1922 – November 25, 2018) was an American historian and political scientist, born in Romania, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the City College and The Graduate Center of the City U ...

, "political culture" in the Fischers' constituency "was forged by their earlier experiences in the

Hungarian Kingdom The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

." The EZNSz/UNET formed a cartel with the

National Peasants' Party The National Peasants' Party (also known as the National Peasant Party or National Farmers' Party; ro, Partidul Național Țărănesc, or ''Partidul Național-Țărănist'', PNȚ) was an agrarian political party in the Kingdom of Romania. It w ...

(PNȚ) right before the 1928 Romanian general election, which won both Tivadar Fischer and József Fischer seats in the Assembly of Deputies. They coalesced into a "parliamentary club" with Mayer Ebner and the

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...

n Zionist

Michel Landau Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), S ...

, calling themselves segments of a "country-wide Jewish party". The Jewish Party (PER), a "unified party of Romanian Zionists" was established on 4 May 1931 in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

. Its first conference elected Tivadar Fischer as party president, while József Fischer became leader of the party's Transylvanian branch. The Jewish Party took part in the 1931 Romanian general election and won four seats in the Assembly of Deputies. József Fischer gained a mandate in

Maramureș County Maramureș County () is a county (județ) in Romania, in the Maramureș region. The county seat is Baia Mare. Name In Hungarian language, Hungarian it is known as ''Máramaros megye'', in Ukrainian language, Ukrainian as Мараморо́щ� ...

. During the

1932 Romanian general election General elections were held in Romania in July 1932.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1591 The Chamber of Deputies was elected on 17 July, whilst the Senate was elected in three stages on 20, 24 and ...

campaign, in February, Landau, alongside Tivadar and József Fischer, were unexpectedly barred by the government authorities from speaking at an electoral meeting in Sighet; their attempt to address the Maramureș Jews from inside Talmud Tora Synagogue was also broken up by the

Romanian Police The Romanian Police ( ro, Poliția Română, ) is the national police force and main civil law enforcement agency in Romania. It is subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and it is led by a General Inspector with the rank of Secretary ...

. Nevertheless, the Jewish Party took 2.26% and 5 seats, József Fischer was also re-elected. The party lost all parliamentary seats during the

1933 Romanian general election General elections were held in Romania in December 1933, the third in three years.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1591 The Chamber of Deputies was elected on 20 December, whilst the Senate was elec ...

The Holocaust

Northern Transylvania Northern Transylvania ( ro, Transilvania de Nord, hu, Észak-Erdély) was the region of the Kingdom of Romania that during World War II, as a consequence of the August 1940 territorial agreement known as the Second Vienna Award, became part of ...

, including Cluj, was ceded by Romania to Hungary in the

Second Vienna Award The Second Vienna Award, also known as the Vienna Diktat, was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all ...

in September 1940. Both Tivadar Fischer and József Fischer remained on Hungarian territory, while their party was banned. Following the

German invasion of Hungary Operation Margarethe (''Unternehmen Margarethe'') was the occupation of Hungary by German Nazi troops during World War II that was ordered by Adolf Hitler. Course of events Hungarian Prime Minister Miklós Kállay, who had been in office from ...

in March 1944, his fellow Zionists offered József Fischer to escape to Romania, but he refused. He attended that meeting of rabbis and congregation leaders in Budapest in March 1944, where the Nazi authorities decided to establish the Jewish Council of Budapest. The

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe d ...

established the

, where József Fischer became president of the Judenrat. Fischer was responsible for organizing life and order within the walls of the ghetto. According to witnesses, he was repeatedly beaten and abused during his operation by local

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

men and the

Hungarian police Hungarian may refer to: * Hungary, a country in Central Europe * Kingdom of Hungary, state of Hungary, existing between 1000 and 1946 * Hungarians, ethnic groups in Hungary * Hungarian algorithm, a polynomial time algorithm for solving the assignme ...

. Together with his son-in-law Rezső Kasztner (or Rudolf Kastner), he took part in the organization of the

Kastner train The Kastner train consisted of 35 cattle wagons that left Budapest on 30 June 1944, during the German occupation of Hungary, carrying over 1,600 Jews temporarily to Bergen-Belsen and safety in Switzerland after large ransom paid by Swiss Orthodo ...

mission. He was among the 300 Jews for whom Kastner obtained a reprieve from extermination at

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

. They were instead transported by the Nazis to

Bergen-Belsen Bergen-Belsen , or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concentrati ...

(where he temporarily chaired a "committee" of exempted Jews), and subsequently allowed to leave for Switzerland in late June 1944.Braham, pp. 36–37; Gidó (2014), p. 251 His mother and two brothers, however, were killed in Auschwitz. Fischer emigrated to

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...

(''

aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...

'') in the autumn of 1945. He died in 1952.

References

Sources

* Braham, Randolph L., ''Genocide and Retribution''. Boston etc.:

Kluwer Academic Publishers Springer Science+Business Media, commonly known as Springer, is a German multinational publishing company of books, e-books and peer-reviewed journals in science, humanities, technical and medical (STM) publishing. Originally founded in 1842 in ...

, 1983. *Gidó, Attila: "Cadrele instituționale ale reprezentării intereselor politice evreiești din Transilvania interbelică (Uniunea Națională a evreilor din Transilvania și Partidul Evreiesc)", in Vasile Ciobanu, Sorin Radu (eds.), ''Partide politice și minorități naționale din România în secolul XX'', Vol. IV, pp. 79–98. Sibiu: TechnoMedia, 2009. *Gidó, Attila: ''Două decenii. Evreii din Cluj în perioada interbelică''. Cluj-Napoca: Editura Institutului pentru Studierea Problemelor Minorităților Naționale, 2014. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Jozsef 1887 births 1952 deaths People from Zakarpattia Oblast Jews from Carpathian Ruthenia Romanian people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Hungarian Zionists Romanian Zionists Transylvanian Jews Jewish Hungarian politicians Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania) Jewish councils in Hungary Hungarian emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Romanian Jews in Israel Kastner train