NEW YORK - The World Jewish Congress on Thursday expressed its full support for the Hungarian Jewish community’s objection to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s characterization of Admiral Miklos Horthy, the governor who signed anti-Jewish laws into effect between WWI and WWII, as an “exceptional statesman”.
“The Hungarian Jewish community is strong and dedicated, but the rampant anti-Semitism and persecution that existed throughout the twentieth century has left an indelible mark on the community, a fact that can never be forgotten or diminished,” World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder said. “The horrors that Admiral Horthy inflicted on the Jewish community of Hungary by stripping them of their rights and their humanity, and his role in the deportation and murder of hundreds of thousands of Jews, can never be excused.
“The World Jewish Congress will always stand beside our communities and do everything in our power to defend them against anti-Semitism and any attempts to justify or excuse such deplorable actions,” Lauder added.
András Heisler, the president of MAZSIHISZ - the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary, released the following statement on Thursday:
Reflecting on the comment of the Prime Minister of Hungary, in which he called Miklós Horthy an exceptional statesman, I hereby issue the following statement as president of the MAZSIHISZ – Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary.
The serious historical experience of our community proves that our country had been buried by the history of the 20th century – largely by Miklós Horthy’s actions between 1st March 1, 1920 and October 16, 1944.
Horthy’s quality – between the two world wars – is strongly debatable. A man cannot be called as exceptional who signed the Numerus Clausus (1920) which degraded the Hungarian Jewry into second class citizens, then signed the first and second anti-Jewish laws (1938 and 1939). The anti-Semitism of the era under his name, which he also took on, cannot be put as an example for the future generations.
Horthy’s responsibility in the deaths of 600,000 Hungarian Jewish victims and the tens of thousands soldiers who lost their lives at the Don River cannot be questioned by our community. The final and historical consequence of the declaration of war against the Soviet Union was the Soviet occupation in Hungary, meaning the dictatorship that lasted 40 years after the WWII.
The Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary (MAZSIHISZ) is following public activity ahead of the 2018 parliamentary elections with concern. We believe more progress would be possible if the contesting political parties would focus on the questions of the present and future, instead of evaluating Horthy.
