Summary

Summary

Along with the rest of the Hungarian media Szombat deals with the upcoming local elections. „Újlipótváros: a place where even right wing representatives are Jewish” is the title of an article by Peter Szego, who interviewed three candi­dates from Budapest’s 13th district. The three interviewees: David Merker (liberal), György Szabó (right wing), and Julianna Alpern (socialist) all take on – though each in their own way – the representation of the peculiar world of this Jewish part of the town.

Our supplement discusses the role of the Jewish commu­nity in the 1956’ revolution. Éva Standeisky examines through three cases to what extent anti-Semitism may have been present in the uprising, and to what extent this problem was around in those days. In „To Go or Not to Go” an auto­biographical work by Pál Várnai. the author looks at the rev­olution from the perspective of a young Jewish boy from the countryside. „To me the 1956 Revolution, which was defeat­ed, yet it was worth as much as a victory, is still the most beautiful period in Hungarian history.”

János Gadó interviewed Tibor Engländer, leader of the Hungarian Zionist Federation. Englander was imprisoned for two years from 1953 on grounds of Zionist activities. We publish the interview with Péter Kende politologist, a former employee of Szabad Nép (the official communist daily) who later emigrated to France, then returned to Hungary. In a short piece Ágnes Heller warns that no matter what worries the 1956 revolution may have meant for the Hungarian Jewish community, it still was one of the most outstanding chapters of Hungarian history.

We publish the second part of Péter Szegő’s report from Poland.

Many of the – mostly secular – patients and visitors were shocked to find that regulations on kashrut became much stricter at the community hospital. Judit Beszterczey studied the conflict and examined why the changes were so badly communicated.

Attila Novák wrote about two new museums, both initiat­ed by the – right wing -municipality in Hódmezővásárhely: the Holocaust Museum and the anti-communist exhibition under the title “Emlékpont” (point of remembrance).

Gábor T. Szántó wrote a farewell piece to György Faludy, the recently deceased, nearly 100 year-old poet, who had been a victim of Nazism and Communism.

Andrea Sturovics examined the big themes of our High Holidays: sins and trespasses.