The Hungarian Jewish Archives (HJA) is one of Europe’s richest Jewish archival collections, keeping materials from the foundation of the local communities (end of the 18th century) until now. The HJA is a public archive, and belongs to the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities. Its main aim to collect and organize documentary evidences, and made them available to the public. The Archive was founded after the Holocaust, while collecting the abandoned Jewish community materials, and all documentation concerning the history of the Jews in Hungary. The HJA collects all documentary evidences which were created by Jewish Organizations (Communities, Central Boards, Associations, Jewish Schools, Hospitals, Elderly Homes etc.). It collects the written and visual evidences of Jewish personalities if they were employees of the Community (Rabbis, Chazans, Bookkeepers, Librarians etc.) The HJA also collects all materials concerning anti-Semitism, anti-Jewish Laws and the Holocaust, but not collects contemporary anti-Semitic literature. The HJA follows the Hungarian law concerning public Archives (1995: LXVI.), data protection law (1992: LXIII.) and the regulation of the Ministry of Culture (10/2002) as well, as the main halachic issues concerning documentation, archives, genizot etc. In accordance with UNESCO regulations, the HJA doesn’t accept materials of uncertain origin, and never accept or buy stolen documents. After 1999, the provenance-research and the restitution of documentation is one of the main tasks of the Archive.
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