Rabbi Asher Faith carries a new Torah scroll being dedicated alongside the new congregation at the dedication of the prayer space in the Medieval Jewish Prayer House in Budapest, September 6, 2018. (Márton Merész), (Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com)
Most diaspora Jews can be defined as belonging to native-born minorities who constitute a ‘privileged’ ethnic minority group. They integrate well into the society in which they live from social, cultural, professional, and economic perspectives. The purpose of this article is to answer the question of whether Jews in contemporary Hungary, particularly in Budapest (where 90% of them reside), feel ‘at home’, namely are integrated within Hungarian society, or are just privileged minorities. The methodology was qualitative, and the research tool was a semi-structured interview with seven Jewish and four non-Jewish interviewees. It involved community members from the academy, religious organizations, and the media. The study’s main findings indicate that for almost all Jewish interviewees who are native-born, Hungary feels like ‘home’ – “My home is Hungary,” most of them said. They feel being integral parts of its culture and language and are strongly attached to its history, although with different intensity and criticism. Political issues and the transition of Hungarian society from the post-communist relatively liberal to the more right-wing society in the last years are the bases for criticism and even disappointment, as are some cultural norms. All non-Jewish interviewees feel very much at home in their hometowns in Hungary, not necessarily Budapest. The connections with their roots in Hungary are more prevalent than among Jewish participants. This is obvious regarding majority versus minority history in Hungary, which uprooted many Jews from the countryside. However, some of them also expressed transnational affiliation with other countries. Jews in contemporary Hungary integrate well in the various fabrics of the city; most of them feel ‘at home’ there and seem to be integral parts of Hungary, at least in the micro perspectives. However, some are aware of undercurrents of old and new antisemitism on the macro level, which affect Hungarian Jews’ sense of integration and affiliation. The main contribution to scholarship in the field is of elaborating the study of majority-minority dynamics and suggesting possible trajectories for better integration of minorities in contemporary central Europe.Adam Schonberger, standing, with other participants at the 2016 seder dinner at the Aurora Jewish community center in Budapest, April 22, 2016. (Courtesy of Marom via JTA) Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/jews-roma-turn-alternative-budapest-jcc-into-anti-government-hub/
