The Hungarian Senate has ratified the election of the Jewish banker Frankel, as a member of the Senate by representatives of the Jewish orthodox congregations of Hungary. In order to become a Senator, Frankel first had to be elected rabbi, since according to the Hungarian law, only a rabbi could represent the Jews in the Senate. A great opposition to Frankel’s election to the Senate arose as a result of this procedure, his opponents claiming that since he was not really performing the duties of a rabbi, he is not entitled to sit in the Senate.
However, the Hungarian Minister of Justice has now decided that the authorization as a rabbi which Frankel got from the Jewish community here is sufficient to entitle him to a seat in the Senate, even though he doesn’t actually perform the duties of a rabbi.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.