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by Jeffrey Kaplan (Editor)
Anti-Semitism in Hungary. Appearance and Reality. Volume 2 takes the reader deeper into the forest with in-depth interviews with the leaders of the key streams of Hungarian Judaism and the leaders of contemporary Jewish institutions currently active in the country. The interviews are offered here as they took place, with a set of structured questions quickly becoming free flowing conversations that reflected not only on the topic of anti-Semitism, but also with often deeply personal reminiscences on Jewish life and how many families avoided any mention of their Jewish heritage, leaving their children to discover their Jewishness, often quite by accident.
Of the many interviews which were conducted over the course of a year and half beginning early in 2020 when COVID lockdowns restricted interviews to Zoom sessions, nine have been selected for this volume bringing together the leaders of MAZSIHISZ (Neolog), EMIH (Orthodox Chabad), MAROM (Conservative) and several key Jewish institutions serving the community as a whole. One additional interview was included with Virág Gulyás, a non-Jew who has created an organization to fight anti-Semitism.
Taken together, both volumes illustrate the aptness of the subtitle Appearance and Reality. Seen from the outside, from the EU and US, Hungary is portrayed as anti-Semitic-a dangerous place for Jews to live or visit. The reality, as seen from the perspective of Hungarian Jews, is perceived
as the diametric opposite: Jews walk the streets safely, anti-Semitic violence is among the lowest in Europe, and under the Orbán government there is a zero tolerance policy for public expressions of anti-Semitism. Those interviewed in these pages have sharply differing views of Prime Minister Orbán and of FIDESZ, his political party. But there is a consensus that under the Orbán governments, anti-Semitic violence that was rife in 2012 has all but disappeared.
It is our belief that together the two volumes of Anti-Semitism in Hungary: Appearance and Reality will provide readers with a picture of the vibrant Jewish community in Hungary and introduce the reader to some of the remarkable men and women that serve that community.
