The fight against anti-Semitism must not be abandoned. It is still present in many places across Europe - declared Katalin Novák, minister without portfolio responsible for families, in connection with the International Forum Against Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust Memorial Conference held in Malmö. The minister emphasized that keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive throughout Europe, including in Hungary, is important, since there were many Hungarian victims of the Holocaust.
At the event with the participation of the heads of state or government of around fifty countries and numerous international organizations (European Union, Council of Europe, OSCE, IHRA), commitments were asked from all participants, to which Hungary made the following recommendation: strive to suppress the anti-Semitic BDS movement that announces a boycott against Israel, and that European Union funds cannot go to the movement (The BDS movement is an abbreviation of the English words Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, which in Hungarian means boycott, capital withdrawal, sanctions). Hungary also undertakes to take action against restrictions on Jewish religious practices in order to preserve their traditions and freedom. Furthermore, as part of Serbian-Hungarian cooperation, it is establishing a Holocaust memorial in the Serbian town of Bor, as well as continuing the program of renovating synagogues and cemeteries.
In her speech at the conference, Katalin Novák called on the participants to clearly state:
today, in Europe, it is not allowed to allow forces that hold anti-Semitic views to be in government and decision-making positions. At this point, the minister also pointed out that in today's Hungarian opposition there is still a party whose members exhibit anti-Semitic expressions. Katalin Novák emphasized: if these forces come to power, people with anti-Semitic thinking can also gain positions.
The minister responsible for families also spoke about the importance of protecting national borders. He emphasized that protecting Hungary's borders also serves to protect Jewish communities. The minister put it this way: when we protect Hungarian borders, we contribute to ensuring that Jewish and non-Jewish Hungarians, Jews and Christians can live together in safety. Katalin Novák emphasized: we can be proud that today Hungary is a safe country and Budapest is a safe city.
The minister also explained to the participants of the conference the steps taken by the Hungarian government in recent years for the Hungarian Jewish people and communities. As he said: the Hungarian government does a lot to preserve the memory of the Holocaust, Holocaust education is part of the National Core Curriculum, and the curriculum was developed together with Jewish organizations. Hungary also observes Holocaust Remembrance Day and supports the Jewish community in several other ways. As an example, he mentioned the renovation of the synagogue on Rumbach Sebestyén Street in Budapest, which also contributes to the safe life of the Jewish community.
As is well known, the Hungarian government has taken action against anti-Semitism in recent years with a number of other decisions. Thus, in 2011, in the amendment of the penal code, he announced zero tolerance towards anti-Semitism. In addition to the inclusion of Holocaust education in the National Core Curriculum, Holocaust Remembrance Day was also included in the high school memorial days, and a memorial center was also established with significant government support. The institutional system of education is provided for the Jewish communities in Hungary through nursery, kindergarten, school and secondary school up to higher education.
The Hungarian government closely cooperates with the Jewish denominations recognized in our country, and since 2015, it has provided approximately eight and a half billion forints for the reconstruction of synagogues and Jewish community spaces. This year, the Rumbach Sebestyén Street Synagogue was inaugurated with HUF 3.2 billion provided by the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Human Resources.
The situation of the Jewish communities in Hungary is well illustrated by the fact that the European Maccabi Games were held in Budapest in 2019. Furthermore, the Hungarian government founded and operates the Hungarian Jewish Heritage Public Foundation, which provides financial, cultural and health-social support for Jewish communities.
Source and featured image: Magyar Nemzet
