On April 29, as part of the preparations for the 14th Plenary Assembly of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), which is to take place next week in Budapest, a meeting took place between the Assembly delegates from Ukraine and Russia and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Hungary to Ukraine Mihály Bayer. Among those taking part in the meeting were EAJC General Council Chairman Josef Zisels and EAJC General Council member Vyacheslav Likhachev.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged opinions on a number of questions concerning the political, economic, and social situation in Hungary. Special attention was given to the state of the Hungarian Jewish community, to manifestations of Judophobia, and to to the activity and anti-Semitic rhetoric of the ultra-right parliamentary party “The Movement for a Better Hungary” (“Jobbik”).

The Hungarian Ambassador spoke to the EAJC representatives on the causes underlying the political crisis of 2010, which had preconditioned a high level of support for the radical right at the last parliamentary elections, and expressed his opinion on why the Hungarian government is seriously criticized in European structures in connection with a number of steps that are seen as “undemocratic” by their opponents. According to the diplomat, certain problems that actually exist in Hungary are sometimes blown out of proportion by foreign observers due to evaluations of the situation at hand which are not always correct.

Mihály Bayer assured the WJC Assembly delegates that despite their expressed concerns, it is quite unlikely that anti-Semitic acts are to be expected during the event in Budapest. The Hungarian diplomat expressed certainty in the absolute safety of both the members of the Hungarian Jewish community and the foreign delegates. Aside from issues concerning anti-Semitism, the discussion touched upon “Jobbik's” anti-Roma initiatives and the causes for widespread xenophobia in Hungarian society.

The sides also discussed the status of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, which resides densely in the Zakarpatska Oblast' of Ukraine, and the problems of Ukrainian-Hungarian relations.

The leadership of the World Jewish Congress, concerned by the current situation in Hungary, recommended the delegates of the Plenary Assembly to hold preliminary consultations with the representatives of the Hungarian diplomatic corps as part of the preparations for the Assembly. The decision to hold the next WJC Plenary Assembly in Budapest, rather than in Israel, as was usual, was taken notably to show support for the local Jewish community in the face of anti-Semitic manifestations in Hungary, such as the electoral support of “Jobbik,” which are causing concern in the global community.

“Jobbik” is a national-radical and xenophobic party came third in the 2010 elections, having received 17% of the votes, due to a mass disappointment in the government that had been in power at the time. The new government had been formed by the conservative right “Fidesz” party (“Hungaric Civic Union”) with the support of two-thirds of the parliament's deputies.

At the end of 2012, the world had been shocked by the parliamentary initiative of “Jobbik” representative Marton Gyöngyösi, who had not taken any pains previously to hide his anti-Semitic views earlier. Against the backdrops of yet another aggravation of the Near East situation, the “Jobbik” deputy demanded that the government compile a list of Jews “who are a threat to national security,” including Jewish politicians and legislators. Even though later the deputy held that he only meant people who hold double – Hungarian and Israeli – citizenship, at the time of the initiative he explicitly said the following: “Now is the time to examine the place you live, in particular, how many people of Jewish origin are in the Hungarian parliament and government, and thus present an actual threat to Hungarian national security.”