Jewish groups urge PM to raise antisemitism in meeting with Hungary’s Orban
JLM and Masorti Judaism call on Boris Johnson to raise their 'deep concerns' over the targeting of Jewish groups and promotion of antisemitic conspiracies
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
The Jewish Labour Movement and Masorti Judaism have called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to raise the issue of state sponsored antisemitism with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Mr Orban will meet with the British Prime Minister at Downing Street tomorrow amid concern over threats to Hungary’s Jewish community.
On Thursday Mr Johnson’s official spokesman said the meeting with Orban would “promote UK interests in these areas and discuss issues in the wider region”.
The spokesman added: “On all human rights issues we do not shy away from raising them, the PM has condemned those specific comments which were divisive and wrong”.
Hungary’s hard-right populist leader has been accused of consistently targeting Jewish leaders and community organisations at home, including Masorti Judaism’s sister organisation Marom Budapest’s community centre.
There has also been the repeated vilification of George Soros with antisemitic tropes in campaigns run by the ruling Fidesz party.
In 2018, over 100 members of UK Marom wrote to Jeremy Hunt, then Foreign Secretary, to protest about the harrssment of Marom Budapest “whose only crime is embracing and reviving liberal Jewish identity.”
Ahead of tomorrow’s meeting Matt Plen, Chief Executive of Masorti Judaism, said: “We are deeply concerned about the threats to members of the Jewish community in Hungary.
“We expect our Prime Minister to use any influence he has with Mr Orban to protect Hungary’s Jews and other vulnerable minority groups.”
Mike Katz, Chair of the Jewish Labour Movement said: “Just last week, the Prime Minister rejected antisemitism in the strongest possible terms and spoke about the need for continuous vigilance against it.
“On Friday, Mr Johnson must follow his own advice and call out Viktor Orban’s hate speech against Jews and other minorities in Hungary. British Jews would expect nothing less.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
