Deputy State Secretary for Churches, Minorities and Civil Affairs Attila Fülöp was on an official visit to Israel at the invitation of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe. During the visit, the Deputy State Secretary held talks with, amongst others, Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef and Minister of Religious Services David Azulai, in addition to visiting the Austrian Hospice of the Holy Family in Jerusalem.
The meetings were also attended by Ambassador Andor Nagy and Executive Rabbi of the Unified Hungarian Jewish Congregation (EMIH).
The Sephardi Chief Rabbi expressed his joy with regard to the fact that Jewish religious life in Hungary is experiencing a new renaissance, as well as stressing his particular thanks for the Government’s support and assistance in this regard. Mr. Fülöp said that in Hungary churches and the state operate independently, but since 2010 the current government is counting on the express cooperation of churches to participate in performing public services such as education and social work. “Preserving the structure of society in Europe based on biblical Jewish and Christian foundations is extremely important”, the Deputy State Secretary highlighted.
Minister of Religious Services David Azulai stressed the importance of the role played by schools and education, and asked for continued support for preserving Jewish commemorative sites in Hungary. The Deputy State Secretary said that the state is supporting Jewish congregations in Hungary in several forms, and continues to count on their community-building efforts, including those of the EMIH.
The Deputy State Secretary also visited the Austrian Hospice founded in Jerusalem in 1857, and the goal of the visit was the concrete determination of the cooperation framework for Austrian-Hungarian cooperation with relation to the Hospice.