State Secretary and Ministerial Commissioner Szabolcs Takács delivered a speech at the conference of B’nai B’rith „Improving the perception of the Jewry – struggle against anti-Semitism” held in Budapest on 21 May 2016.
The conference of B’nai B’rith organised within the framework of the Visegrád Four is exploring one of the most significant questions of today’s Europe: the question of the perception of the Jewry and anti-Semitism.
Through the promotion of Holocaust remembrance, education and research, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) is fighting to ensure that what led to the Holocaust should never happen again in the world. In the past year, during Hungary’s IHRA Chairmanship, Europe came face to face with challenges which endanger the core values of both the EU and IHRA through disregard for its Jewish-Christian roots.
Anti-Semitism has become a central factor in Europe on a scale which has been unprecedented since World War II, in particular, its modern-day manifestations which may be associated with an anti-Israeli stance, and are linked to extreme-left groups in the West and radical Islamists. This new type of anti-Semitism is particularly dangerous inasmuch as it is manifested throughout Europe as part and in the disguise of political and human rights claims which are designed to legitimise anti-Semitism.
One of the most important arguments of IHRA, and the principal reason for its activities, should be sought in the historical uniqueness of the Holocaust: this is why IHRA as the only international organisation is solely dedicated to the Holocaust, its causes and its consequences, including anti-Semitism. The historical, cultural and moral apocalypse, during the course of which a political movement set out to exterminate the Jews, and went ahead with its plan. This political movement grew popular and entered into power in one of the historical centres of European culture and successfully turned one of the most important products of civilisation, the institutions and apparatus of the Modern State, to the service of the implementation of its goal. By citing Imre Kertész’s words: „Auschwitz and all that which is associated with it is the European people’s greatest trauma since the Cross, though it may take decades or even centuries before they realise”. IHRA serves this duty, which is international and pan-social at once, by promoting the remembrance and education of the Holocaust and exploring its true story: the duties of realisation, remembrance and recognition of why we must permanently fight against all forms of anti-Semitism.
Raising awareness of the Holocaust always makes us remember its shadow and cause which is present also today: anti-Semitism which is an international and pan-social phenomenon at the same time. The perception of the Jewry, too, is closely related to this, but only in a legal sense. One is either an anti-Semite or not: hatred cannot be bettered, cannot be improved. Hatred is either there or not in an individual, in an action, in a movement. Anti-Semitism is none other than a unique system of prejudices which is capable of justifying the failures, psychological tensions and anxieties of individuals and groups with simple scapegoat solutions and false explanations in a variety of situations and in the form of a variety of lies.
The struggle against anti-semitism is also a fight for democracy and for preserving our European democratic values. It is not a mere coincidence that the efforts in the struggle against anti-Semitism of IHRA’s seven permanent international partners, including the UN, the Council of Europe, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, become intertwined in their commitment to and activities for general democratic freedoms. One of the significant achievements of Hungary’s IHRA Chairmanship was associated with the UN: the President of IHRA was invited to deliver a speech at the UN’s central commemoration to mark the International Holocaust Remembrance Day of 27 January for the first time this year, during the Hungarian Chairmanship. Another achievement of the Hungarian Chairmanship was related to the EU: after nine months of lobbying and significant resistance, with reference to the unique nature of the Holocaust, we succeeded in achieving an amendment to be made to the EU’s new data protection regulation to the effect that its stringent data protection provisions should not hinder Holocaust research. This was the greatest achievement of IHRA in its history of 15 years. The third achievement of the IHRA Hungarian Chairmanship was that we managed to improve the organisation’s visibility with more than 100 events world-wide which – as intended – sought to draw the attention of wider strata of society to the fight against anti-Semitism through facing the horrors of the Holocaust.
Our IHRA Chairmanship could not have been successful without the firm support of the Government and the cooperation of the Jewish communities in Hungary. The 2012 Wallenberg Memorial Year, the 2014 Holocaust Memorial Year, the sanctions introduced under penal law with a view to eliminating anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, the extension of mandatory Holocaust education (decision of the Pázmány Péter University), a regular dialogue with Jewish communities, and the preservation and fostering of the Jewish heritage within the framework of a programme for the refurbishment of Jewish burial sites and synagogues all served to raise awareness of the fact that Hungary’s involvement in the Holocaust was an act of treason, and anti-Semitism cannot be tolerated in any manifestation.
Many representatives of IHRA and international Jewish organisations endorsed our IHRA Chairmanship achievements. However, the most precious feedback and recognition is the continued maintenance of a fruitful dialogue with the Jewish communities in Hungary so that the past and flourishing cultural life of the Jewish community in Hungary should become known and widely appreciated in Hungary and abroad, and so that our Jewish fellow-countrymen may continue to feel safe in Hungary.
In today’s Europe this is not to be dismissed: ever since World War II there have been no threats to our common European values so grave and so full of contradictions as those which we are facing today. A large portion of the Jewry in Western-Europe has every reason to feel threatened: regrettably, we may experience growing anti-Semitism throughout Europe.
The appearance of migrants in masses without controls gives rise to understandable fears in the European population, and if these are not handled with sufficient tact, they may play into the hands of extremist, anti-Semitic political forces. IHRA, too, perceived this problem last autumn, and at the IHRA plenary meeting held in Debrecen a separate panel was dedicated to the issues of the migration crisis relevant to IHRA after Honorary Chairman Yehuda Bauer issued a statement encouraging the Hungarian Chairmanship. In this he pointed out: we must avoid the drawing of any historical parallels between the current refugee crisis and the persecution of the Jews before, during and after the Holocaust. At the same time, the issue must be addressed as, against the anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish background of the majority of migrants, xenophobia and the popularity of extremist political forces may increase in Europe as one of the consequences of mass migration. A very promising cooperation and partnership has evolved among the Visegrád Four regarding the management of this issue which we would like to continue in the future as well.
Our Chairmanship came to an end more than two months ago. However, we continue our work, and provide the current Chairmanship with every assistance because remembering the Holocaust, the memory of the victims, the example set by those who rescued human lives, and understanding and raising awareness of the conclusions compel us, the Hungarian delegation of IHRA, the Hungarian Government and everyone who feels responsible for themselves, the generations of the future and the future of Hungary, to carry on. In this effort we continue to rely on the support and cooperation of international Jewish organisations, including the oldest, B’nai B’rith.