Member of the Hungarian Parliament have met with MK Yisrael Eichler who chair a Friends of Israel organization from that country. During the meeting he received a commitment that Hungary would refurbish 120 Jewish cemeteries at a cost of $3 million annually.

The parliamentary delegation was headed by a deputy speaker and they met in Knesset with the Hungarian Friends of Israel organization representatives headed by MK Eichler. The visiting delegation on Tuesday visited Gaza border communities.

They spoke of cooperation with Israel and the problems facing Hungary posed by the large influx of immigrants, refugees from the Middle East. “We are unwilling to absorb individuals who may harm our children, the elderly and innocent people” they explained. They indicated they plan to hold a national referendum to determine if they wish to follow the European Union dictate regarding the immigration policy.

Eichler explained a differentiation must be made between immigrants who back terror and wish to harm innocent people and those who simply hate immigrants without cause. He pointed out “the Jews are a good example of immigrants that lived quietly and peacefully in Hungary. Hundreds of thousands who arrived from Hungary live in Israel and the United States today. They will never forget those evil days when Hungary was enveloped in anti-Semitism and cooperated with the Nazis. For many years, Hungary provided them shelter in galus and today, once again, Hungary is in crisis over immigration and the fear is the racist parties do not point to the Jews and quiet minorities with xenophobia and anti-Semitism together with the violence immigrants”.

Rav Eichler raised the issue of the poor condition of the Jewish cemeteries. The representatives promised the cemeteries would be refurbished, 120 of them, at the cost of $3 million annually.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)