Hungarian Jewish Leaders Report on Situation of Jews in Hungary

A report on the situation of the Jews in Hungary was given to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency here today by two leaders of the Hungarian Jewish community who are attending the sessions of the plenary assembly of the World Jewish Congress. The leaders are Rabbi Imre Beneschofsky and Dr. Geza Zeifert, both of Budapest.

There are in Hungary now between 80,000 and 100,000 Jews, about 80 percent to 90 percent of them living in the capital, they said. They pointed out that the figures must be estimates, since the government census does not identify people by race or religion. There are 34 synagogues and Jewish houses of prayer in Budapest. The synagogue on Dohany Street has a capacity of 4,000 worshipers and is believed to be the largest synagogue in the world. Most of the synagogues are Orthodox.

All synagogues are packed to capacity on High Holy Days and major festivals, and some of them, the leaders said, hold services in three shifts to accommodate the vast crowds. The religious community maintains institutions for kashruth, including nine kosher butcher shops. Large quantities of kosher meat are also exported from Budapest, and kosher meat sent out under supervision of Jewish religious leaders in Budapest is accepted for import by religious authorities in Israel.

There is a matzoh factory in Budapest, and it is run by the Government — as all factories are — but the matzoh is baked under rabbinical supervision. Matzoh is exported to Germany and to other countries. There are Jewish high schools where the enrollment is co-educational and where, in addition to general subjects, the pupils are taught Bible, Jewish prayers and Jewish history. There is also a yeshiva with 40 students, and there the Talmud is translated into Yiddish. There is a Talmud Torah in the city and there are also Sunday school classes.

The leaders said there is no assimilation among Hungarian Jews “in the accepted sense.” This means, they explained, that those “who are out of the Jewish community stay out, while those who are in are in. Religion is a private affair, and there is no room for conversion.” “A certain amount” of emigration for family reunification is going on, they reported.

The leaders said they are very proud of the Jewish Museum; the Jewish Hospital, which serves strictly kosher food; and 11 Jewish homes for the aged, of which four are maintained by the Central Jewish Board and the others by the Government.

While the ideology of the government, they stressed, is atheist, it does not impose atheism on the Jews, but permits them to practice their faith and provides help to the religious Jews. Anti-Semitism is opposed, along with Fascism, they reported, and both are suppressed and combated.