Congregation B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, Florida invited Mr. Csanád Szegedi to speak on April 15 at their Holocaust remembrance Yom HaShoah commemoration. His appearance was widely advertised, the Sentinel had a piece about it, and the event was financed by the Sari Singer Holocaust Survivor Endowment Fund.
The invitation to the Csanád Szegedi talk in Boca Raton, Florida.
Two days before the evening, a memo was sent out: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Mr. Csanád Szegedi will not be coming to Boca Raton to speak at our Yom HaShoah event on Wednesday evening. Instead, we are excited to welcome Stanlee Stahl, who will present Conscience & Courage: Honoring the Righteous Among the Nations.”
What do you do when you learn you are not the person you thought you were? Mr. Szegedi was a prominent right-wing extremist in Hungary until he discovered his Jewish roots. Since then, he has undergone a radical transformation – from a neo-Nazi to an Orthodox Jew. Mr. Szegedi’s transformation was astonishing, almost a miracle. Some say, a miracle not to believe…
He was a rising star of Hungary’s far-right, who was dumped by his party after he admitted he was a Jew. He found support in the ultraorthodox Chabad movement and soon he was circumcised. Today, he goes to synagogue, eats Kosher food and has adopted the Hebrew name Dovid. His wife is also converting to Judaism.
Mr. Szegedi theatrically burned his own right-wing book entitled “I Believe in Hungary’s Resurrection”; the New Yorker had a long and well-written piece about him by Anne Applebaum. He started to travel and give speeches about his personal quest and about the Holocaust. He has even spoken to a group of Hungarian schoolchildren during a visit to Auschwitz. “Giving a presentation to 40 children at the gates of Auschwitz was surreal,” said Mr. Szegedi.
Not everybody was impressed. Some think that Mr. Szegedi himself is “surreal”.
The Boca Raton cancellation memo did not detail the “unforeseen circumstances”, but I think it has to do with a new fraud accusation against Mr. Szegedi. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has launched an investigation, they suspect that Mr. Szegedi has misappropriated European Union funds.
György Lázár
