Orthodox Seen Winning in Election of Hungarian Jewish Community Leaders

The outcome of the ongoing elections of Jewish community officials in Hungary may register a vote in favor of Orthodoxy, observers here report. They say many Hungarian Jews feel their leaders should give more priority to religious questions which they say have been eclipsed by political issues recently. Community officials are elected for 8-year terms and elections in the provinces precede those in the capital.

Apparently, the rabbis, often kept in the back ground of community life, have recently launched a campaign to return the community’s attention to more Orthodox questions of religious life and have criticized Jewish leaders for devoting all their efforts to political problems. The two Hungarian Jewish weeklies seem to bear witness to this trend and are publishing more articles dealing with religious topics.

In Budapest, it is expected the chairman of the National Organization of Hungarian Jews, Dr. Geza Seifert, will be re-elected. Seifert’s re-election would most likely be welcomed by the government with which he has excellent relations.