The Magnate-Jewish Symbiosis

WRITING IN 1927, Hungarian Jewish author Lajos Hatvany described, in his autobiographical novel Gentlemen and People, the angst of Hermann Bondy over whether or not the Blaus, a noble couple who had been invited to his wedding, would show up: Would Gusztáv Blau come? Would he bring his wife? Certainly the Blaus had accepted the invitation on paper and were present at the ceremony in the synagogue. . . . But these superior people had not deigned to mingle with the crowds who had rushed to greet the bridal pair. They had hurried away. . . . But Bondy’s thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door and the entrance of little Gusztáv Blau in person. In he stumbled, smiling and clean-shaven, with his side whiskers and his diplomat’s face. . . . All the guests were then presented in turn to the Blaus, who stood in the centre of the hall like royalty. The panting ladies from the provinces . . . were lost in admiration of Frau Blau’s gigantic ear-rings and her collar of pearls the size of hazelnuts. And that the wealthy banker’s wife should be so kind with it all—a real lady! . . . Indeed, you could see from her whole manner that she had been brought up in Pest. . . . Now the Bondys would be able to say they had been admitted to the leading circles in Pest....