Given our current situation, anti-Semitism is not just our right, but it is the duty of every Hungarian homeland lover, and we must prepare for armed battle against the Jews.
Anti-Semitism is alive and well, especially in Hungary, which is home to the third largest Jewish community in Europe, and has a long history of battling prejudice in its many forms. As one who lived in Hungary for a time (2001 and part of 2002), I can attest to the pervasiveness of anti-Semitism in Hungarian society.
When I first moved to Budapest from Southern California I was cautioned to avoid wearing a Star of David, a yarmulke, or any other Jewish symbols. Many people will refrain from openly identifying themselves as being Jewish out of fear. When I rented my first apartment, my Jewish landlords were very nervous about my putting up a mezuzah, fearing their property would be vandalized. And I quickly learned my lesson when a swastika was painted outside my apartment window.
A recent article in HaAretz documents just how acceptable it has become in Hungary to blame social woes on Jews and Gypsies:
When I first moved to Budapest from Southern California I was cautioned to avoid wearing a Star of David, a yarmulke, or any other Jewish symbols. Many people will refrain from openly identifying themselves as being Jewish out of fear. When I rented my first apartment, my Jewish landlords were very nervous about my putting up a mezuzah, fearing their property would be vandalized. And I quickly learned my lesson when a swastika was painted outside my apartment window.
A recent article in HaAretz documents just how acceptable it has become in Hungary to blame social woes on Jews and Gypsies:
A crumbling country, torn apart by Hungarian-Gypsy civil war, could easily be claimed by the rich Jews," the article [mentioned above] went on to say. "That is why we should expect a Hungarian-Gypsy civil war, fomented by Jews as they rub their hands together with pleasure.
Once again, hatred continues to rear its ugly head.
I'm a Gypsy, and my great-grandfather was in a camp (but survived, thank God, after slave labor and torture).
In European countries, there is a sad tendency to minimize the Shoah and the Porraimos (the Gypsy "Holocaust"), ignore current forms of anti-Gypsyism and anti-Semitism, and - in the name of tolerance of Muslim immigrant communities - underestimate the widespread hatred of Jews and Gypsies among immigrants from Muslim countries.
To hear someone acknowledge the persecution of Gypsies in the first place, is rare and refreshing. Thank you.
I also commend you for spelling Gypsy correctly, with a capital "G".
Unfortunately, this topic is not mentioned much in the European media, which is dominated by left-wing journalists with little sympathy for Jews ("evil occupants of Palestine") and Gypsies ("thieves, conmen and beggars who won't assimilate").
In my work as a human rights attorney, I've witnessed widespread and official tolerance throughout Europe of the most appalling treatment of Roma/Gypsies. They are denied access to social services and public schooling. Their pleas for help from the police are often ignored, and their children are routinely targeted for exploitation, kidnapping, and forced labor.
It's really disgusting.
Dear Tsoani,
Thank you for your great comment and insight. Living in Hungary was my first real exposure to Roma life and culture. Interestingly, the community I was a part of in Budapest had an incredible relationship with the Roma community. As such I really built a long-lasting relationship and admiration for the Roma community in Europe.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!
Dear Rabbi Joshua and Rebbetzin Monique - thank you again, and God bless you! I read your blog on occasion, and it came as a pleasant surprise to see the situation of my people in Hungary mentioned here.
My wife's family came to the US (from England) in the 1800s, and I can't believe how safe and comfortable their lives have been as American Gypsies, compared to those of us who stayed in Western Europe. And Eastern Europe, of course, is much worse. But even in the US, we don't always tell our neighbors or friends what we are. They think we are Italian, or Greek (but not me: I'm more fair.)
(BTW: All Romani Gypsies are not Roma. Like all Jews are not Sephardic. There are different groups within the Romani/Gypsy people, and Roma are one of them.)
Thanks for the clarification, Tsoani. And welcome to our humble blog!
Tsoani-
Thank you for clarifying!