Budapest’s novel Holocaust museum, in the works for years and still incomplete, will now be the Brüll Alfréd House – Hungarian Jewish Heritage Park, announced the Hungarian government’s special envoy against anti-Semitism, Minister János Bóka, and MTK president and head of the Fidesz EP delegation, Tamás Deutsch.
The bill submitted by the government, according to Neokohn, would transfer the House of Fates property to the MTK sports club to be used for the association’s management. According to the government’s plans:
- A memorial site will be created that will honor the memory of the child victims of the Holocaust.
- An educational institution will provide knowledge sessions, as well as physical and mental opportunities, including sports.
- A community space will house exhibitions, lectures and leisure programs.
- The Hungarian Jewish Heritage Park will add further green spaces to the capital.
Boka said that the Hungarian government’s goal is to bring the property, which has been vacant and unused for a long time, back to life and serve the benefit of Hungarian citizens and the domestic Jewish community.
The building and premises had previously been in the hands of the Association of Hungarian Jewish Communities (EMIH), whose head, Rabbi Shlomo Köves, said the move to transfer the Holocaust museum to a sports club struck him as “bizarre” at first. However, he also said that leadership under János Boka is “a ray of hope.”
Boka also represents Hungary in the European Commission’s working group responsible for combating anti-Semitism and supporting Jewish life. According to Mazsihisz, he believes the promotion of Jewish life is critical to the fight against anti-Semitism: “The basis of our work is to protect Jewish communities, as these communities are an integral part of society.”
On his Facebook page, Boka just recently posted a video inviting the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra to perform in Budapest after the Flanders Festival Ghent canceled its scheduled performance over its conductor, Tel Aviv-born Lahav Shani, not “clearly” distancing himself from his country’s government.
“Here, music does not need political footnotes,” he said.
