The Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary (MAZSIHISZ) marked Hungary’s Holocaust Remembrance Day with a solemn ceremony at the Holocaust Documentation Center and Memorial Collection in Budapest, commemorating the beginning of the ghettoisation of Hungarian Jews in 1944.
The commemoration brought together senior political leaders, diplomats, religious figures, and Holocaust survivors, including Hungary’s Prime Minister-designate Péter Magyar, Special Envoy for Antisemitism and Minister for European Union Affairs János Bóka, and Israel’s Ambassador to Hungary Maya Kadosh.
In a deeply personal address, Dr Andor Grósz, President of MAZSIHISZ, reflected on his recent visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where he stood alongside thousands of commemorators from around the world.
He evoked the memory of his own family members among the approximately 450,000 Hungarian Jews murdered during the Holocaust, describing the emotional weight of attempting to comprehend such an immense tragedy. He stressed that remembrance in Jewish tradition is not merely about recalling the past, but an active responsibility in the present that shapes the future.
Dr Grósz underlined that the destruction of Hungarian Jewry was not inevitable, but the result of political failure, the spread of hatred, and the complicity of state structures that ultimately handed over hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens to their deaths.
He pointed to the lasting damage inflicted on Hungarian society, noting that the absence of those lost continues to be felt in immeasurable ways—through the lives not lived, the achievements never realised, and the contributions never made. He raised poignant questions about how many more citizens, innovators, and cultural figures Hungary might have today had this tragedy not occurred, emphasising that such questions have no answers, which makes them all the more profound.
Addressing contemporary challenges, Grósz warned that antisemitism is once again on the rise globally and stressed the responsibility of current generations to preserve memory and remain vigilant. He reaffirmed that zero tolerance for antisemitism is essential to ensuring that Jewish life can be lived freely and securely, and that the primary goal must be to ensure that the atrocities being commemorated are never repeated. He concluded with a call for unity and action, stating that remembrance must go hand in hand with concrete efforts, and that Jews and non-Jews alike must stand together in rejecting hatred.
Deputy State Secretary Vince Szalay-Bobrovniczky highlighted that remembrance is both a moral obligation and a safeguard against indifference, warning that dehumanisation begins with words and apathy and becomes irreversible when society chooses to look away. Referencing the work of János Pilinszky, he underscored the enduring emotional and ethical weight of the Holocaust and the importance of renewing collective commitments to human dignity and inclusion.
Ambassador Maya Kadosh reflected on the broader implications of the Holocaust, posing difficult questions about how such atrocities could occur within a functioning society and what responsibilities institutions bear when moral boundaries begin to erode.
She emphasised that remembrance must not be confined to the past but must inform present and future responses to hatred and exclusion. She also highlighted the importance of Hungary’s formal recognition of the Holocaust as part of its national history, noting that this acknowledgment reflects an understanding that the events of 1944 were carried out within the country’s own institutional and societal framework.
Following the speeches, participants gathered at the Martyrs’ Memorial Wall to place stones in honour of the victims, a Jewish tradition symbolising enduring memory. Among those taking part in this act of remembrance was Péter Magyar, alongside representatives of both the incoming and outgoing Hungarian governments.
The ceremony concluded with memorial prayers led by religious leaders and a chamber music performance featuring works by Bach, Mendelssohn, and Beethoven, reinforcing the solemn and reflective nature of the occasion.
Eighty-two years after the ghettoisation of Hungarian Jews began, the commemoration in Budapest delivered a clear message: remembrance must lead to action, and confronting antisemitism requires a shared commitment across all sectors of society.
