Shlomó Köves
Hamas, said Rabbi Shlomó Köves, “sees not only Israel, but all Jews and peace-loving people of the world as enemies and targets.”
The Jewish ritual bath is near the Hungarian Parliament building.
Rabbi Shmuel Faigen was installed as head of the Jewish community in the Hungarian city, as well as rabbi of the EMIH-Hungarian Jewish Association and Chabad-Lubavich movement.
The Jewish community of 100,000 or so has been divided on the prime minister largely across religious-political lines, even though they agree that anti-Semitism has not really been an issue.
The videos are part of a series of interviews with survivors conducted by Hungarian director András Surányi, and commissioned by the Hungarian Holocaust Research and Education Center.
“Unfortunately, we are still fighting COVID-19, but we will not be deterred and will celebrate—with the utmost caution—together again this year,” said Rabbi Shlomó Köves.
“We gather in Brussels with Jewish leaders from Europe and watch, in front of our eyes, how anti-Semitism continues to grow year after year,” said Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association, who placed blame on politicians “who are content with declarations but ignore the real problems of the Jews of Europe.”
Nearly one-third of respondents in Austria, Hungary and Poland say Jews will never be able to fully integrate into society • About one-third in Romania, France and the Czech Republic think secret Jewish network influences political, economic affairs in world.
It’s part of a rejuvenation of Jewish life, particularly in Budapest, that has come about in the last decade after the dark shadow of the Holocaust and then years of Communist rule.
Where there were once 150 synagogues in Budapest, there are now fewer than two dozen; however, efforts in the past decade to foster a resurgence in Jewish life have proven successful.
The Hungarian Jewish community is the largest in East-Central Europe with an estimated 100,000 members.
On the plane back, passengers got a pre-taste of the Passover holiday in the form of boxes of round, handmade shmurah matzah.