How does one broach the painful history of the Holocaust with children, especially when there is a family connection to this tragedy? Hungarian Canadian children’s author Kathy Clark’s book The Choice serves as one way to introduce teens and pre-teens to the Shoah. The Choice is Ms. Clark’s second children’s book that weaves her own family’s experiences during World War […]
Many of us in the United States are disturbed that the Hungarian Postal Service has recently issued a stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Zita Szeleczky. She is not a role model for today’s Hungarian youth, her support of Hungarian fascism was nothing less than shameful, and as an actress she did not exhibit unusual talents. Who […]
Medián, one of Hungary’s top polling firms, published the results of a comprehensive and startling study into the scope and nature of antisemitism in Hungary. The poll shows a significant rise in antisemitism, with the number of Hungarians who are seen as “rejecting” Jews on a purely “emotional” level increasing from 9% in 2003 to 23% in 2014. It should […]
Hungary’s main Jewish community weekly magazine, Szombat, published a scathing critique of the country’s Jewish community leaders who, the publication charges, seem to be more interested in demonstrating their loyalty to the Orbán government and in being subservient, than in coordinating their message with each other and showing any signs of community solidarity before heading into meetings with the regime. […]
Hungarian newsmakers didn’t like UN Ambassador Samantha Power’s criticism of the Hungarian Government’s attempt to rewrite World War II history – so they rewrote her speech. Why not? Hungarian news sources often ignore important stories, but in this case they went one step further; they turned the table and rewrote it. They added lines she never said, a rant about […]
The Toronto-based Jewish Tribune published an important and startling piece, based on an interview with Hungarian author Ákos Kertész, who was forced to flee from Hungary, following a series of brutal anti-Semitic attacks against him. Canada accepts very few refugee claimants from Hungary, but Mr. Kertész’s claim was approved. For some time, Mr. Kertész was not able to speak openly […]
Samantha Power is one of President Barack Obama’s closest confidants and currently U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Ms. Power, who is 44 years old, was formerly Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, and also a noted writer, she won the Pulitzer […]
Hannah Szenes, who today is considered a national hero in Israel, was born into an assimilated Jewish family in Budapest, on July 17, 1921. Her original given name was Anikó. The young Anikó’s father, Béla Szenes, was a journalist, playwright and translator. Hanna Szenes attended the Baár-Madas Protestant School. Even then, she had a passion for writing poetry. But the […]
The Hungarian Government is reaching out to the county’s Jewish community. Mr. János Lázár, Chancellor Minister and a trusted confidant of Prime Minister Orbán, recently wrote a letter to the Alliance of Jewish Communities (Mazsihisz) in an attempt to restore cooperation on the government’s Holocaust Memorial Year, a series of events planned to mark the 70th anniversary of Jewish deportations. […]
Coded antisemitism is a familiar phenomenon on the “moderate” Hungarian right (provided that there is still such a thing as moderate, centre-right Hungarian politics). While Jobbik and those to the right of Fidesz-KDNP are open in their antisemitic diatribes, the pro-Fidesz press simply aims to insinuate that the Hungarian left – en masse – is somehow beholden to Jewish interests. The […]
