Márton Áron

Márton, Áron With the German invasion in March 1944, a period of horror began for Hungarian Jews. Jews were forced to wear the yellow star, their property was confiscated, they were concentrated into ghettos, and beginning in the middle of May, they were deported to Auschwitz in large numbers. Throughout this period, there was only one Church leader who spoke out publicly and forcefully against these atrocities. The lonely voice of justice belonged to Áron Márton, the Roman Catholic bishop of Transylvania, who lived in Gyulafehérvár / Alba Julia (today Romania). During this early period, the activism of other clergymen took place behind the scenes, in the form of letter writing, or in extending help to individual victims of persecution, particularly to those Jews who had converted to Christianity. However, the bravery Márton showed by publicly declaring his support for the Jews, and his faith-based condemnation of Nazi policies, had no parallel in all of Hungary. On May 18, 1944, a large crowd was gathered in the Church of St. Mihály in Kolozsvár / Cluj (today Romania) in order to witness the ordination of three young priests. Márton arrived from Gyulafehérvár to lead the congregation in prayer and to deliver the celebratory sermon. For his sermon, Márton chose the topic “love your neighbor as yourself.” In the name of Christianity, he told the assembled crowd of his intense opposition to the treatment of the Jews of Hungary. He encouraged the congregants to oppose the anti-Jewish laws, which he declared to be in opposition to the spirit of Christianity, even if it cost them their lives. “We must stand on the side of what is true and right, publicly and with pride, and resolve to see every human, no matter what his language or religion, as our brother,” he cried. He condemned those who would lead people into the path of evil, calling them “idol worshippers.” Márton’s speech strengthened the hearts of those who had begun to worry about the fate of the Jews,and clarified to them, in the Church’s name, that the Jews were not suffering for their “sins,” bur rather because they were the victims of an unjust and immoral policy directed against them because they were members of a different religion. Márton’s speech, given before a congregation that included heads of the Hungarian establishment as well as the leaders of the Kolozsvár Roman Catholic community, had a resounding effect. It was especially poignant because, at that very time, the Jews of the city were being concentrated into a ghetto in preparation for their deportation, and were suffering tortures and humiliations. Márton’s activism was not limited to public sermons. On May 22, he wrote identical letters, addressed to the Hungarian heads of state and to the local chief of police. In the letters he demanded, in the name of the Christian faith and for the good of the Hungarian nation, to stop supporting those who were persecuting the Jews. He even demanded that they resign from their positions as a protest against anti-Jewish policies that would, he warned, bring disaster upon the Hungarian people. Márton’s impassioned words did not move the leaders of the Hungarian establishment, and did not have any direct effect on the fate of the Jews. He was forced to return to Gyulafehérvár at the end of May, as trainloads of Jews left Kolozsvár for Auschwitz. However, Márton’s sermons and letters were disseminated by others, including, for example, Sister Margit Schlachta*. They served as inspiration to those who defied the laws of the land, and listened to their conscience in order to save Jews. The Jews of Hungary remember Bishop Márton, until the present day, as a man who raised his voice for them, when the whole world was silent. On December 27, 1999, Yad Vashem recognized Áron Márton as Righteous Among the Nations.