Organized Jewry in Hungary Seeks Contact with Jewish Groups Abroad

It is the intention of organized Hungarian Jewry to establish contact with leading Jewish organizations abroad, particularly the World Jewish Congress, Endre Sos, president of the Central Board of Hungarian Jewry, has declared, according to a report reaching here from Budapest. Mr. Sos made his announcement in a speech following his election as president of the board. Imre Miklos, a high official of the Hungarian Government’s Office for Church Affairs, was present when the announcement was made.

“We feel united with world Jewry,” Mr. Sos told his audience, “and Jews throughout the world should feel the same way.” He added that Hungarian Jews look forward to a visit to Budapest of a World Jewish Congress delegation. Mr. Miklos told the Jews that the government would not tolerate anti-Semitism, the report from Budapest said. He also asserted that the Hungarian Government looked with approval upon the new program of the Central Board of Hungarian Jewry.

Another speaker at the post-election meeting, was Alexander Scheiber, director of the rabbinical seminary, who said that the board’s new program would open a new cultural era for Hungarian Jews. He said it was a responsibility of the leadership to make certain that the high spiritual level traditional to Hungarian Jewry be maintained.

Mr. Sos, who was elected president of the Budapest Jewish Community a week before his elevation to the head of the central federation of Hungarian Jews, is an author of biographies of Zola. Benjamin Franklin and Cervantes, as well as a history of European fascism and anti-Semitism and a study of Jews in rural Hungary. Among the three new vice-presidents of the board is a representative of Orthodox Jewry.