Summary

Is it true that American private foundations are planning to grant 360 million USD to Hungarian Jewry? – an intriguing piece of information which László Seres tried to confirm from various sources, without much success. One possible explanation is that the Claims Conference is trying to secure this amount for Hungarian Jewry – which is unusually large among Hungarian conditions – during its negotiations with Germany.

Hungarian Parliament has approved the setting up of the Hungarian Jewish Heritage Fund which will manage the compensation to the Jewish community. In our article we quote excerpts from the parliamentary debate. The Jewish community will also receive compensation fór the buildings nationalized under the Communist regime: one part of the buildings will be retumed to the Jewish community, while for others the community will be reimbursed. We publish excerpts from the first detailing these build­ings, as well as interviews by Péter Kertész with prominent figures of the Jewish com­munity. Finally, we have included an eariier interview with Éva Ancsel, the renowned philosopher who has recently died, on her childhood and her Jewish roots.

In our section on World Affairs we offer a review of new developments conceming the Jewish deposits in Swiss banks, as well as a report on Jewish life in former Yugoslavia.

In our section on Israel we publish the füst part of János Gadó’s travelogue, describing his experiences in yeshivas and the world of Orthodoxy.

The Tradition section begins with a description of the characteristics of the Jewish calendar, written by Tamás Bíró followed by Anna Gábor’s study – in our sec­tion on history – on the distinctive features of Jewish architecture in eastern Hungary.

Victor B. Geller’s short story, Herman Wouk’s mutiny’ describes an episode in the novelist’s life: how he ‘converted’ to Orthodoxy a part of the Conservative congregation in his hometown. Finally, we bid farewell to Emmanuel Lévinas, the renowned French Jewish philosopher.