Hungarian Jews form ‘coronavirus corps’ 

Orthodox Jews in Hungary have set up “operative corps” to shore up kosher food supplies and establish alternative medical centres staffed by Jewish doctors volunteering. 

The initiative was explained last week by Rabbi Slomo Koves of the Chabad-affiliated EMIH 

Unified Hungarian Jewish Congregation, who said in mid-March that he “did not feel compelled” to shut synagogues, despite rules prohibiting large gatherings. 

He said EMIH was preparing 1,500 special home seder kits, having closed the community’s Jewish  schools.

The Budapest community has a kosher bakery, plus a chicken farm and a dairy farm for milk production, giving a degree of self-sufficiency. 

Zsuzsa Fritz, director of the city’s Balint House JCC, which caters mainly for progressive Jews,  said its rabbis “have gone online and are streaming prayers, Havdalah, classes…”. 

She added: “We are planning to do the seder online… The not-so- observant community will be ready to participate in online events on the holiday.”