Hungarian Religious Affairs Minister Miklosh Schultz, his deputy minister, and Rav Shlomo Kobush, the Chief Rabbi of the Union of Jewish Communities in Hungary, participated in a special tour of the Beis Medrash HaGadol in Kiryat Belz this week.

The UTJ’s Belzer representative, MK Yisrael Eichler, also participated in the tour.

During the tour, Schultz expressed his excitement about the visit and even stopped to say a chapter of Psalms.

The minister then visited the home of the Belzer Rebbe, during which they spoke extensively about the preservation of religious freedom in Hungary, including shechita and bris milah. They also spoke about the Hungarian government’s support of the religious communities in the country as well as the preservation of Jewish sites and the mekomos hakedoshim, especially in the town of Kerestir where the tzion of Reb Shayale is located.

The Belzer Rebbe asked the minister about his visit to Israel and he replied that he came to visit the Rebbe and other religious figures, emphasizing that as a Christian, he has a deep belief in G-d. At the end of the visit, he asked the Rebbe for a bracha.

Rav Kobush, who has spearheaded a revolution of frum kehillos in Hungary in recent years, spoke to the Rebbe about the development of the kehillos under his leadership.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)