House of Fates hand-over to Jews should be celebrated not belittled says EJA Head

September 18, 2018

Responding to the news that the Hungarian government has made Hungary’s Emih, Hungarian Jewry’ principal Jewish community, the custodians of the Jewish Museum “House of Fates”, the Chairman and Founder of the European Jewish Association, Rabbi Menachem Margolin welcomed the move and rounded on critics as pretending to speak for Hungary’ Jews.

In a statement Rabbi Margolin said,

“The Emih community was founded in 1877 and re-constituted in 2004. Since then it has been leading from the front when it comes to the remarkable and inspiring revival of Hungary’s Jewish community.

It counts 16 Rabbis acting on behalf of its community in Hungary’s 3 main cities. It is the only community that provides Kosher certification and performs circumcisions. It is the only community to have published, in Hungarian, a Siddur, Machzor, Haggadah and Chumash. Additionally it runs 6 synagogues and leads spiritually another 3 in Hungary. It runs a kindergarten, school, high school and University and Rabbinical college.  It also founded the most important organisation in Hungary that monitors Anti-Semitism – Action and Protection – an organisation that enjoys widespread support among Hungarian Jewry. In the upcoming year, Emih will renew another 3 synagogues in Hungary. There is no doubt that Emih is responsible for the Jewish renaissance in Hungary.

Little wonder therefor that Emih is recognised by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, and that the Hungarian government has chosen it to act as custodians for this important museum. This is the first time that a government has given up voluntarily, a museum or memorial and placed it in the hands of the Jewish community. This is to be celebrated not belittled.

Anyone that is critical of this move is showing how far they are removed the community and realities on the ground. Attempts to politicise such a positive step underlines the very real need for communities like Emih, particularly as the Hungarian government is one of the few in Europe that continues to provide support and is helping to create the conditions needed for a flourishing Jewish community through its unambiguous  support for Isreal and Freedom of religion.

Additional Articles

Hind Rajab Co-Founder Ousted from Belgian Political Party; EJA and Jewish Community Applaud Decision

BRUSSELS – The European Jewish Association (EJA) commends the decision by political parties in the Belgian city of Willebroek to exclude Karim Hassoun from the governing coalition. “Hassoun is a radical extremist who supports Hamas and Hezbollah and imports anti-Semitism onto the streets of Europe,” says Belgian MP and EJA diplomatic envoy Michael Freilich. Karim Hassoun is the co-founder of the Hind Rajab foundation, that prosecutes Israeli soldiers around the world.

After months of negotiations following municipal elections in October 2024, the leaders of Willebroek’s two largest parties finally reached an agreement to form a governing coalition on Thursday evening, January 8th 2025. Willebroek is a city in the province of Antwerp, Belgium.

This development came about after Hassoun’s own party expelled the extremist following calls by the Belgian Jewish community to do so.

Hamas supporter

It was the Belgian Jewish Magazine, Joods Actueel, that led the campaign against Hassoun by publishing articles about the mans social media posts.

When asked if Hassoun would condemn Hamas after the October 7th attacks, Hassoun wrote on social media, “I condemn Hamas for not taking 500 or 1000 hostages, instead of just 200.”

Regina Suchowolsky, head of the Belgian Forum of Jewish Organisations and member of the European Jewish Association, had urged local politicians not to include an extremist figure like Hassoun. Joods Actueel also published photographs of Hassoun proudly wearing a Hezbollah cap and revealed images of him honouring a Hezbollah terrorist in front of the Belgian Holocaust Museum.

Standing firm

Mayor Eddy Bevers of the N-VA party had consistently stated that he would not govern alongside extremists and refused to share power with Hassoun’s party, Iedereen 2830. In the end, Iedereen 2830 conceded and removed Karim Hassoun from its faction, in order for a coalition to be formed.

EJA diplomatic envoy Michael Freilich, who is the only Jewish MP in Belgium and a party colleague of Mayor Bevers, praised Bevers for standing firm on principle:

“It is crucial that we uphold our responsibility to serve the public and refuse to give in to extremist voices. Hassoun tried to hide his track record, but did not get away with it. Under his leadership of the Arab European League, the Dutch branch of the organisation was convicted for minimising the Holocaust after publishing a cartoon showing Anne Frank in bed with Adolf Hitler. Someone like Hassoun is a vile figure and has no place in public office. His hateful actions impact and directly affect Jewish communities”.

Prosecuting Israeli soldiers

Hassoun is also the co-founder of the Hind Rajb Foundation, which seeks to prosecute Israeli soldiers around the world. He launched the organisation in September 2024, just one month before the local elections in Belgium. “This indicates that his primary focus lies in attacking Israel and Israelis, rather than addressing local

Israeli minister, UN chief agree to combat antisemitism online

Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel and UN Secretary-General António Guterres met in New York on Friday and agreed to join forces to combat hate speech, incitement and antisemitism online.
Hendel, who arrived in New York after a three-day visit to Washington DC, shared with Guterres news of the committee that he has decided to establish to review the status of social media networks in Israel and whether they can be defined as media organizations, thereby giving the courts the ability to hold them accountable for content that they publish.
“We are in a war for the truth and in stopping incitement and hate speech,” Hendel said. “Israel will be a pioneer in this battle.”
Read more

EUROPEAN JEWISH ASSOCIATION RESPONSE TO THE VANDALISM IN THE JEWISH CEMETERY IN SLOVAKIA

AS JEWISH CEMETERY IN SLOVAKIA IS DEFACED AGAIN, EUROPEAN JEWISH ASSOCIATION URGES SLOVAK GOVERNMENT TO CLAMP DOWN HARD ON REPULSIVE PERPETRATORS AND INCREASE HOLOCAUST EDUCATION PROVISION

Immediate focus after bringing prosecutions against perpetrators must be on education says EJA Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin.

(Brussels 17 March 2025) A Jewish Cemetery in Humenne, Slovakia was desecrated with the daubing of Swastikas on headstones. This is the second time that the Cemetery was attacked, and follows a pattern of attacks over the last years on Jewish cemetaries.

The cemetery stands as memorial monument to a lost community, wiped out in the Holocaust.

The Brussels based European Jewish Association represents hundreds of Jewish Communities across Europe. Its Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin has written to the Slovak Minister of Education, Mr Tomas Drucker urging his department to increase Holocaust education in all schools and for his government clamp down hard and prosecute the perpetrators.

In a statement today, Rabbi Margolin said,

“The desecration of Jewish graves is heinous, repulsive and a betrayal of memory. These stones stand as a testament to a community that vanished after humanity’s lowest point: the Holocaust

“I have written to the Slovakian Education Minister to increase Holocaust education in Slovakia. When graveyards are habitually desecrated it points to a sickness in society that needs to be addressed.

“The best cure, other than the perpetrators feeling the full weight of justice, is through education, in particular of learning the lessons of the Holocaust and where mindless hatred can lead a society. The government must clamp down hard.”

 

Greece: Kosher slaughter 'under direct attack'

Jewish freedom of religion is under direct attack across Europe from the very institutions that have vowed to protect our communities, says European Jewish Association Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin, after the Greek Supreme Court ruled that slaughter without stunning violates EU law.
The move comes as a consequence of the European Court of Justice Ruling last December that member countries may ban the practice of ritual slaughter in order to promote animal welfare, without infringing the rights of religious groups.
The December ruling said that the EU’s animal slaughter regulation “does not preclude member states from imposing an obligation to stun animals prior to killing which also applies in the case of slaughter prescribed by religious rites”, but encouraged member states to find a balance.
It is now clear that a number of member states are zealously applying the former whilst ignoring the latter.
In a statement this evening, the Chairman of the Brussels-based European Jewish Association, which represents hundreds of communities across the continent, said: “We warned in December about the downstream consequences that the European Court of Justice ruling carried with it, and now we see the outcome. Jewish Freedom of Religion is under direct attack. It started in Belgium, moved to Poland and Cyprus and now it is Greece’s turn.
“These direct attacks are coming from many of the same governments and institutions who have sworn to protect their Jewish Communities. What we are witnessing is rank hypocrisy. When it comes to antisemitism, governments and institutions rightly stand behind us. But when our faith and practice is assailed left and right by laws, they are nowhere to be seen, nowhere to be found. What use is it to protect Jews while legislating fundamental pillars of our religion out of existence?
“We will be urgently making representations to the highest levels of the Greek government to get direct answers to this simple but fundamental question: How can there be Jews in Europe if you keep bringing in laws against us?”

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/315829
Additional Communities
United Kingdom
Ukraine
Turkey
Schweiz
Switzerland
Sweden
Spain
Slovenia
Slovakia
Serbia
Russia