The 25th anniversary of the written agreement between the Jewish community and the government was officially declared as a Jewish commemoration day during a solemn meeting of the Jewish community. During the meeting, the deputy leader of the Hungarian office for church affairs, Istvan Ballo, addressed the gathering. He recalled how 25 years ago the government granted the Jewish community the same rights as the Christian churches. He said Hungarian Jews had always fulfilled their role as responsible citizens and willingly carried out their civic duties.
Geza Seifert, chairman of the Jewish community, also addressed the group. He said that contrary to what some Western peoples believe, the Declaration of the Rights of Man is respected in Hungary as demonstrated by the agreement signed 25 years ago recognizing the separation of church and state.
Seifert also commented on the Middle East conflict. According to observers here, it was the first time a Jewish leader offered an opinion on the Mideast in the presence of government officials. Seifert said he welcomed the cease-fire set up by the United States and the Soviet Union and expressed confidence in the Geneva Arab-Israeli peace talks and hoped they would bring peace to the Mideast.
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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.
