Over the years I've intermittantly made some efforts to confirm (or
disconfirm) a family legend of an ancient kinship relation between my
Mother's family, RAKOCZ, and some undetermined Hungarian "Noble" lineage.

Seven years ago Gyorgy Ujlaki sent me a message regarding descent of the/a
PALAGYI family and descendants of ELEAZAR ROKEACH:

"...I have a book by Kempelen Bela titled Magyar Zsido Csaladok (Hungarian
Jewish Families) and much of it is devoted to research of Jewish "blood" in
Hungarian Aristrocratic families...

The book (vol III, pp. 42-43) mentions a family called Palagyi (non-noble),
who were descendants of Eleazar Rokesch (1758-1837). In jewish literature
he is quoted as ELEAZAR ROKEACH, was a rabbi in Moravia, then of
Liptoszentmiklos, Abaujsantos (Santov), and the author of SHEMEN ROKEACH.
so maybe this Rokesch is the same as your Rokash (Rakocz - my correction)?

The ROKEACH family is said to descend >from a Dutch rabbi Eleazar Rokeach.
There is another book about Hungarian Jewish nobles, I can't recall the
author, but the title is Hungarian Nobles and Geniuses."

Subsequent research has shown that:
1. The Palagyis are in fact a very old Hungarian (mostly non-Jewish) family
of the minor nobility-squirearchy dating back to at least the 12th century
(see http://www.palagyi.info/index.html.) Never the less, some Palagyi's
converted to Judaism. A number of illustrious Jewish Palagyis:

Palágyi Melchior { Menyihért }
16 Dec 1859 Paks, HU - 14 Jul 1924 Darmstadt, Germany
Hungarian philosopher and physicist that came up with space-time concept.

Palágyi Lajos
15 Apr 1866 Óbecse, HU - 7 Mar 1933 Budapest, HU
költő : Hungarian writer and younger brother of Melchior
Palágyi Lajos
9 Mar 1876 Baán, HU - 4 Jan 1932 Budapest, HU
drámai színész
2. The Rabbi of Liptoszentmiklos, Abaujsantos (Santov), and the author of
SHEMEN ROKEACH (1758-1837) was ELAZAR LOW and had only a minimal (if that)
relation with the ELEAZAR ROKEACH (1665-1742), became dayyan of krakow,
rabbi of Rakow in 1708, rabbi of Brody in 1714, and Ashkenazi Rabbi of
Amsterdam in 1735 (Jewish Encyclopedia). The ELAZAR LOW was, indeed, called
THE SHEMEN ROKEACH (after the name of one of his more important writings),
however neither he or his descendants adopted ROKEACH as a surname. On the
other hand ELEAZAR ROKEACH, the writer of THE MA'ASEI ROKEACH, did adopt
ROKEACH, and so too did his descendants.

I would greatly appreciate if any of the correspondents can expand the
information supplied me by Ujlaki on the ROKEACH-PALAGYI connection . I am
particularly interested in when the Jewish PALAGYI line converted to
Judaism, the circumstances and principals involved in the conversion, and so
on.
Many thanks,
Victor Friedlander