Irrespective of what the European Parliament’s LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs) committee claims, Hungary is among one of the best countries in Europe for Jewish communities to settle in and thrive, a recent study shows.
The study, jointly authored by the European Jewish Association and the British Institute of Jewish Policy Research, takes into account surveys previously conducted on the sense of security of Jews and also summarizes the data showing the level of personal attacks on Jews and antipathy toward Jews across various European nations.
While the LIBE committee believes differently, according to the study of the 12 countries in Europe with the largest population of Jews, the Jewish community feels the safest in Denmark and Hungary.
Within this, Hungary ranks first in terms of having the fewest antisemitic attacks on Jews. According to the comprehensive research, Jews feel the least safe in France, while Belgium is the country with the fewest measures to support the lives of Jews.
“(Hungary) is slowly becoming the only place in Europe where being Jewish does not require a daily survival strategy,” Rabbi Shlomo Köves, head of the Association of Hungarian Jewish Communities (EMIH), said.
“We must appreciate this, and it has a lot to do with the current government policy and its active cooperation with Jewish communities,” he added.
