Földvári Books

Original 1944 Holocaust Poster on Yellow-Star Houses in Budapest

[Farkas, Ákos] Mayor of Budapest

Zsidók által lakható épületek végleges kijelölése a székesfőváros budai oldalán. 1944. június 22. 148.451/1944.–IX. szám. [Ultimate Allocation of Houses Designated For Jews on the Buda Side of the Capital City Budapest. June 22, 1944. No. 148.451/1944.–IX.]

Budapest: Dr. József Szentmiklósi (Budapest székesfőváros házinyomdája), [1944]. Original printed poster on green paper. With the coat of arms of Budapest. Issued by the Mayor of Capital City of Budapest. Ca. 65 × 100 cm. Folded. In very good condition.

Official poster details the final list of buildings on the Buda side designated for Jewish residency during the Holocaust.

Following the German occupation of Hungary in March 1944, Budapest implemented a unique method of ghettoization by assigning specific "yellow-star houses" instead of creating a traditional ghetto. These houses, marked with a yellow star at the entrance, became the compulsory residences for nearly 220,000 Jews in Budapest. Initially, a larger number of houses were designated for Jewish residency, but a subsequent decree on June 16, detailed in this poster, significantly reduced these locations. This reduction was part of a revised plan to concentrate the Jewish population into fewer buildings, primarily in central areas. In addition to controlling and concentrating the Jewish population, it appears that part of the plan was to use these buildings and their Jewish inhabitants as indirect human shields during Allied bombing campaigns.

The Buda side experienced a far greater reduction in the number of houses allocated for Jewish residency compared to the Pest side. Of the original list, 374 buildings were removed in Buda with only 2 new addresses added, while in Pest, 480 buildings were deleted but 145 were added.

The decree specified that Jews must move into these houses by June 24, 1944, and that the houses be marked with a yellow star. Non-Jewish residents who remained in these buildings were required to display a sign stating "Itt nem laknak zsidók!" ("No Jews Living Here!") on their front doors, using an official form provided by the authorities. The process was meticulously detailed to ensure that only non-Jewish residents could obtain and display this sign. The use of these yellow-star houses continued until November 1944, when, following the Arrow Cross takeover, Jews were relocated to a formal ghetto.

Ákos Farkas, the mayor responsible for implementing these decrees, fled Hungary in late 1944 and was later extradited and sentenced for war crimes.

Literature: Karsai, E.; Karsai L. (eds.): Vádirat a nácizmus ellen. Dokumentumok a magyarországi zsidóüldözés történetéhez. Vol. 4. 1944. október 15.—1945. január 18. Budapest: Balassi, 2014. p. 88.

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Price: €10,000.00