DOCSLIB.ORG

The Roots of Hate Michael J

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Roots of Hate Michael J Michael J. Jordan has written about Eastern Europe’s post-communist transition since 1994. He was first based in Budapest, Hungary, and now lives in Bratislava, Slovakia. The Roots of Hate Michael J. Jordan heves, Hungary—The past few years mines, industries and agriculture that have been turbulent for Szabolcs Szedlak, were staples of the communist system— far worse than most Hungarians could especially in this region. Successive have imagined two decades ago, when governments have failed to fill the void they tore a hole in the Iron Curtain and with new jobs or re-training. Unemploy- changed their world. Szedlak, 34, came ment in the region now approaches 50 of age during the tumult of the post- percent among those aged 25 to 40, feed- communist transition from dictatorship ing widespread anger and disillusionment to democracy. Back then Hungarians were with Hungary’s brand of “democracy.” told, and many believed, they’d become As joblessness soars, so has support for a like neighboring Austrians—a BMW in new style of politics that harkens back to every driveway. Just don’t remind folks a bygone era, snuffed out by communism: of those daydreams in this bleak corner of Right-wing extremism is on the rise. Ac- northeastern Hungary. cording to one survey, it has doubled here Szedlak and his family live in Heves, since 2003. Hungary, once dubbed the a small, quiet town of 11,000 on the “happiest barrack in the Soviet camp,” is great Hungarian plains. Szedlak was born arguably the unhappiest of the 10 ex-com- here, in the heart of the country’s most munist members who have since joined depressed region. Twenty years ago, the the European Union. sudden and unexpected exposure to free Count Szabolcs Szedlak among the markets ravaged the state-controlled disgruntled. © 2010 World Policy Institute 99 For ten years, Szedlak toiled in a Not Your Father’s Economy furniture store before deciding to chase To many Hungarians, and tens of millions the capitalist dream. He bought the store of other Central and Eastern Europeans, from his boss in 2005, but high taxes this is no ordinary economic crisis. The choked the life out of his business. It fold- whipsawing booms and busts of the free ed in June 2008. At the same time, his market are still novelties that enrages folks wife gave birth to their first child. With like Szedlak, who find themselves all but a second on the way, this spring he found helpless in the face of a vicious economic a job as a maintenance man at a local downturn and joblessness. Nothing like it kindergarten. Unable to afford their own has occurred in these parts since the Great place, the couple now lives with Szed- Depression, which led to the rise of Hitler lak’s parents. Szedlak has taken whatever and the Nazi movement. It’s hardly sur- work he can find, from painting houses to prising that Hungary now pulsates with selling watermelons. Despite family and its most powerful far-right sympathies financial pressures, Szedlak still finds the since World War II. This dramatic shift time to volunteer. Politics has become his to the right has seeped into a part of the passion, and his bitter disenchantment world that, until two decades ago, saw the led him to help form the Heves chapter of state wield total control over both society Jobbik, the most dynamic new far-right and economy. The roots of democracy have party in all of Europe. grown, but they haven’t burrowed so deep The anti-western, anti-minority Job- that they cannot be shaken. bik boasts a red-and-white-striped sym- For 40 years, families like the Szedlaks bol—known as the ancient Hungarian were insulated from the economic cycles of “Arpad” coat of arms—that also resembles the West. Though far from affluent, they the emblem of the murderous Nazi-era Ar- were rarely wanting. Most families could row Cross Party. This group, which briefly even afford at least one modest holiday a held power from 1944-45, was responsible year. Then the Wall came down. A cor- for killing thousands of Hungarian Jews rupt brand of “Wild West” capitalism ran and Gypsies, and deported tens of thou- rampant through an authoritarian corner of sands more. Jobbik maintains a militant the globe, one with little or no tradition of arm, the Magyar Garda, or Hungarian democracy or rule of law, and no experience Guard, which has marched through mi- with any economic infrastructure resem- nority neighborhoods in black jackets and bling a free market. As a result, the entire black boots sporting the Arpad insignia. post-communist transition in Central and In April, Jobbik capitalized on popular Eastern Europe has been one grand experi- fury over the country’s faltering economy, ment, with Hungarians, Poles, Czechs, winning 16.7 percent of the vote in na- Slovaks, Romanians, Bulgarians and many tional elections—the greatest performance others serving as guinea pigs. so far for the ultra-right in any of the EU’s Some have flourished, but many have former communist states. not. Nearly everyone has been scarred in “I was just trying to provide for my some way since their pre-democratic world family and my baby,” Szedlak explains, was flipped upside-down. Last fall, a Pew tapping his cigarette ashes into an empty survey of economic attitudes reflected beer can. “But after she was born, I saw upon the trauma and growing nostalgia that sitting and yelling at my TV doesn’t among ex-communist states. Topping the do any good. I don’t want her to grow up list were the Hungarians. A whopping 72 in such a lousy world.” percent said they are economically “worse 100 WORLD POLICY JOURNAL • FALL 2010 © Michael J. Jordan Szabolcs Szedlak’s bitter disenchantment led him to Hungary’s far-right Jobbik party. off” today, never mind the dictatorship, Gyöngyösi, told me what has made his par- censorship and police repression of the old ty so popular: “More and more Hungarians order. “But Hungary’s malaise is not all realize the parties that emerged from the about economics—most are frustrated with communist system were not representing politics too,” Richard Wike, associate di- the interests of Hungarians or Hungary, rector of the Pew Global Attitudes Project, and made more compromises than they explained in his analysis of the results. This should have.” As the highest-ranking Job- frustration has only accelerated the swing bik member of the Parliament’s foreign- toward extremism. According to research affairs committee, Gyöngyösi pushes to re- by the Budapest-based think tank Politi- orient Hungarian foreign policy eastward, cal Capital, hard-right support in Hungary toward Russia and the Middle East. He’s more than doubled, from 10 percent in called for the withdrawal of Hungarian 2003 to 21 percent in 2009. In Poland, troops from the NATO coalition in Af- however, support for right-wing politics ghanistan, though Hungary eagerly joined dropped by almost a third. Over that same the NATO military alliance in 1999. period, anti-establishment anger in Hun- “This establishment running Hun- gary that “everything and everyone is bad” gary is some kind of grand coalition, soared from 12 percent to 46 percent. changing hands every four years, and Jobbik exploits the disillusion and they don’t like anyone else entering thrives on it. The party’s 33-year-old presi- the system,” Gyöngyösi explains. “The dent, Gabor Vona, leads its new faction majority of our supporters think even in Parliament. His cabinet chief, Marton now it’s not too late to get off this path, The Roots of Hate 101 to take our own fate into our hands, for (Slovakia, for example, passed a 2009 law what’s in the best interests of Hungary, preventing the Hungarian language from not what’s best for the IMF, Brussels, any government-underwritten actions, Washington or the World Bank.” even between a doctor and patient.) An equally maligned target is the despised minority group that has lived A Beacon Extinguished among Hungarians for centuries, the The 1990s seem so long ago, when Hun- Roma, who stand accused of both bleeding gary—home of Liszt, Bartok and a dispro- the welfare system and of Cigánybunözés, portionate number of Nobel prize-winners or “Gypsy criminality.” Earlier this year, for its population—was a beacon of newly the Jobbik magazine Barricade published democratic Eastern Europe, a darling of a drawing of a dark-skinned man on foreign investors, praised by the West for its cover, wearing a gold chain around its economic, social and political reforms. his thick neck. Above him, a headline After leading its neighbors into NATO screamed Gypsy Criminality! Over! Another in 1999, Hungary entered the European issue of the same magazine featured the Union in 2004. As recently as the 2006 statue of St. Gellert overlooking the scenic national elections, Jobbik and its poli- panorama of Budapest and the Danube. tics of resentment could barely muster In this rendering, though, the saint held 2 percent of the vote. Four years later, a Jewish menorah. The headline read, Wake everything has changed. Hungarian self- Up, Budapest! Is This What You Want? confidence is rattled, especially when they Not surprisingly for a political party see their neighbor nations leapfrogging whose rally cry is Szebb jövot! (A Brighter them into the regional pecking order. Future!), it’s younger Hungarians who For example, the Slovaks to the north, to are heavily responsible for Jobbik’s recent whom Hungarians have long been conde- success. In the April elections, exit polls scending, have adopted the Euro and are showed nearly a quarter of all ballots prospering, buying homes in cheap Aus- were cast by voters aged 18 to 29.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • We're Not Nazis, But…
    August 2014 American ideals. Universal values. Acknowledgements On human rights, the United States must be a beacon. This report was made possible by the generous Activists fighting for freedom around the globe continue to support of the David Berg Foundation and Arthur & look to us for inspiration and count on us for support. Toni Rembe Rock. Upholding human rights is not only a moral obligation; it’s Human Rights First has for many years worked to a vital national interest. America is strongest when our combat hate crimes, antisemitism and anti-Roma policies and actions match our values. discrimination in Europe. This report is the result of Human Rights First is an independent advocacy and trips by Sonni Efron and Tad Stahnke to Greece and action organization that challenges America to live up to Hungary in April, 2014, and to Greece in May, 2014, its ideals. We believe American leadership is essential in as well as interviews and consultations with a wide the struggle for human rights so we press the U.S. range of human rights activists, government officials, government and private companies to respect human national and international NGOs, multinational rights and the rule of law. When they don’t, we step in to bodies, scholars, attorneys, journalists, and victims. demand reform, accountability, and justice. Around the We salute their courage and dedication, and give world, we work where we can best harness American heartfelt thanks for their counsel and assistance. influence to secure core freedoms. We are also grateful to the following individuals for We know that it is not enough to expose and protest their work on this report: Tamas Bodoky, Maria injustice, so we create the political environment and Demertzian, Hanna Kereszturi, Peter Kreko, Paula policy solutions necessary to ensure consistent respect Garcia-Salazar, Hannah Davies, Erica Lin, Jannat for human rights.
    [Show full text]
  • Jean Monnet Chair Working Papers in Political Sociology Issue No. 3/2020
    INSTITUTE OF EUROPEAN STUDIES AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS FACULTY OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES COMENIUS UNIVERSITY THE IDENTITARIAN ROOTS OF HUNGARIAN ILLIBERALISM Aliaksei Kazharski Jean Monnet Chair Working Papers in Political Sociology issue no. 3/2020 (for the Jean Monnet Project EUPOLSOC) The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The research was co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, project number 611572-EPP-1-201 9-1-SK-EPPJ MO-CHAIR Institute of European Studies and International Relations Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences Comenius University Bratislava 2020 Jean Monnet Chair Working Papers in Political Sociology Editorial Board: Steven Saxonberg Oľga Gyarfášová Anton Gazarek FOR ACADEMIC USE ISSN 2644-6596 Copyright notice: © Aliaksei Kazharski, December 2020 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication or parts thereof may be made without written consent of the author(s). 2 We Hungarians shall not reject Europe, despite all its weaknesses, emaciation and unsteadiness; and we shall not abandon it, despite its current bout of vertigo. Viktor Orbán Hungary will not be a colony. Krisztina Morvai, member of the European Parliament Introduction1 The study examines Hungary’s “illiberal turn” and the new-old geopolitical imaginaries which its rulers have been constructing. Since its landslide victory in 2010, the Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance, led by the charismatic prime minister Viktor Orbán have been transforming Hungary’s political system in ways that have drawn significant international criticism.
    [Show full text]
  • MODERN ANTISEMITISM in the VISEGRÁD COUNTRIES Edited By: Ildikó Barna and Anikó Félix
    MODERN ANTISEMITISM IN THE VISEGRÁD COUNTRIES Edited by: Ildikó Barna and Anikó Félix First published 2017 By the Tom Lantos Institute 1016 Budapest, Bérc utca 13-15. Supported by 2017 Tom Lantos Institute All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. ISBN 978-615-80159-4-3 Peer reviewed by Mark Weitzman Copy edited by Daniel Stephens Printed by Firefly Outdoor Media Kft. The text does not necessarily represent in every detail the collective view of the Tom Lantos Institute. CONTENTS 01 02 Ildikó Barna and Anikó Félix CONTRIBUTORS 6 INTRODUCTION 9 03 Veronika Šternová 04 Ildikó Barna THE CZECH REPUBLIC 19 HUNGARY 47 I. BACKGROUND 20 I. BACKGROUND 48 II. ANTISEMITISM: II. ANTISEMITISM: ACTORS AND MANIFESTATIONS 27 ACTORS AND MANIFESTATIONS 57 III. CONCLUSIONS 43 III. CONCLUSIONS 74 05 Rafal Pankowski 06 Grigorij Mesežnikov POLAND 79 SLOVAKIA 105 I. BACKGROUND 80 I. BACKGROUND 106 II. ANTISEMITISM: II. ANTISEMITISM: ACTORS AND MANIFESTATIONS 88 ACTORS AND MANIFESTATIONS 111 III. CONCLUSIONS 102 III. CONCLUSIONS 126 The Tom Lantos Institute (TLI) is its transmission to younger gener- an independent human and minori- ations. Working with local commu- ty rights organization with a par- nities to explore and educate Jewish ticular focus on Jewish and Roma histories contributes to countering communities, Hungarian minori- antisemitism. The research of con- ties, and other ethnic or national, temporary forms of antisemitism is linguistic and religious minori- a flagship project of the Institute.
    [Show full text]
  • Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women Fourteenth Meeting New York, 23 June 2006 Item 5 of the Provisional Agenda*
    United Nations CEDAW/SP/2006/3 Convention on the Elimination Distr.: General of All Forms of Discrimination 28 February 2006 against Women Original: English/French/Spanish Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women Fourteenth meeting New York, 23 June 2006 Item 5 of the provisional agenda* Election, in accordance with article 17, paragraphs 4 and 5, of the Convention, of 12 members of the Committee, to replace those whose terms are due to expire on 31 December 2006 Note by the Secretary-General 1. In accordance with article 17, paragraph 4, of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Secretary -General will convene the fourteenth meeting of States parties at United Nations Headquarters on 23 June 2006 for the election of 12 members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women from a list of persons nominated by States parties to replace those whose terms are due to expire on 31 December 2006 (see annex I). The names of the other 11 members, who will continue to serve on the Committee until 31 December 2008, appear in annex II. 2. In compliance with article 17, paragraph 3, of the Convention, the Secretary - General, in a note verbale dated 10 November 2005, invited the States parties to submit their nominations for the election of 12 members of the Committee not later than 10 February 2006. The Secretary -General has prepared the following list, in alphabetical order, of all persons nominated by 10 February 2006, indicating the States parties that had nominated them.
    [Show full text]
  • Right-Wing Populism in Europe: Politics and Discourse
    Kovács, András. "The Post-Communist Extreme Right: The Jobbik Party in Hungary." Right-Wing Populism in Europe: Politics and Discourse. Ed. Ruth Wodak, Majid KhosraviNik and Brigitte Mral. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2013. 223–234. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 24 Sep. 2021. <http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781472544940.ch-015>. Downloaded from Bloomsbury Collections, www.bloomsburycollections.com, 24 September 2021, 23:58 UTC. Copyright © Ruth Wodak, Majid KhosraviNik and Brigitte Mral and the contributors 2013. You may share this work for non-commercial purposes only, provided you give attribution to the copyright holder and the publisher, and provide a link to the Creative Commons licence. 15 The Post-Communist Extreme Right: The Jobbik Party in Hungary András Kovács The Jobbik party: Short history, electoral results Immediately after the fall of communism, far-right organizations and ideologies made an appearance in Hungary. In the initial stages these radical and overtly antisemitic groups appeared only on the margins of Hungarian political life. Most of them enjoyed foreign patronage, and became the local branches of Western fascist and neo-fascist organizations established by Hungarian fascists living abroad and Hungarian mutations of the skinhead movement. In mainstream politics, the first far-right party, the Magyar Igazság és Élet Pártja, Party of Hungarian Justice and Life (MIÉP), was founded in 1993 by the writer István Csurka, who had previously served as deputy chairman of the governing centre-right party, the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF). The standard discourse of the Hungarian far right had already taken its present form immediately after the expulsion of Csurka and his supporters from the governing party in 1993.
    [Show full text]
  • Delegation for Relations with India List of Members
    Delegation for relations with India List of members Members Sir Graham WATSON Chair Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe United Kingdom Liberal Democrats Party Charalampos ANGOURAKIS Vice-Chair Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left Greece Communist Party of Greece Luigi BERLINGUER Member Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament Italy Partito Democratico Fabrizio BERTOT Member Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) Italy Forza Italia Zdravka BUŠIĆ Member Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) Croatia Hrvatska demokratska zajednica Pilar del CASTILLO VERA Member Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) Spain Partido Popular Yves COCHET Member Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance France Europe Écologie Birgit COLLIN-LANGEN Member Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) Germany Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands Peter van DALEN Member European Conservatives and Reformists Group Netherlands ChristenUnie 04/03/2014 1 Karima DELLI Member Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance France Europe Écologie Harlem DÉSIR Member Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament France Parti socialiste Iratxe GARCÍA PÉREZ Member Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament Spain Partido Socialista Obrero Español Eider GARDIAZÁBAL RUBIAL Member Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists
    [Show full text]
  • 33Rd Session (New York, 5Th to 22Nd July 2005)
    COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN 33rd Session (New York, 5th to 22nd July 2005) At its 33rd session, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (the “Committee”), which monitors the implementation by States of the International Convention of the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (the “Convention”) considered country reports from Benin, Burkina Faso, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), Gambia, Guyana, Ireland, Israel and Lebanon. Overview of Committee Session The 33rd session of the Committee took place at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York from 5th to 22nd July 2005. The Committee considered the reports from eight State parties: Benin, Burkina Faso, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Gambia, Guyana, Ireland, Israel and Lebanon. Half of the countries, Benin, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Gambia and Lebanon, were presenting their initial reports under the Convention and were therefore coming before the Committee for the first time. Unlike the 32nd session, no new Committee members had been elected to the Committee and the composition of the Committee remained the same as that of January 2005. The Committee experts were Ms Magalys Arocha Domínguez (Cuba), Ms Meriem Belmihoub-Zerdani (Algeria), Ms Dorcas Coker-Appiah (Ghana), Ms Mary Shanthi Dairiam (Malaysia), Mr Cornelis Flinterman (Netherlands), Ms Naela Mohamed Gabr (Egypt), Ms Françoise Gaspard (France), Ms Huguette Bokpe Gnacadja (Benin), Ms Salma Khan (Bangladesh), Ms Tiziana Maiolo (Italy), Ms Rosario G. Manalo (Philippines), Ms Krisztina Morvai (Hungary), Ms Pramila Patten (Mauritius), Ms Silvia Pimentel (Brazil), Ms Victoria Popescu (Romania), Ms Fumiko Saiga (Japan), Ms Hanna Beate Schöpp-Schilling (Germany), Ms Heisoo Shin (Republic of Korea), Ms Glenda P.
    [Show full text]
  • The Policy Specialists, the Defenders of the Nation, and the Invisible Parliamentarians
    The Policy Specialists, the Defenders of the Nation, and the Invisible Parliamentarians Executive summary of the FES – Policy Solutions study on the activities of Hungarian MEPs since 2014 Since 2009 Policy Solutions has regularly publicly evaluated the performance of Hungarian MEPs working in Brussels/Strasbourg. With our most recent analysis compiled jointly with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, we continue this worthy tradition. Our study examines what the work of Hungarian MEPs focused on until the middle of the 2014—2019 term, what issues they sought to put on the agenda in Brussels, as well as how active individual Hungarian MEPs were in their roles as legislators and/or policy specialists. The policy work of the Hungarian MEPs We examined the policy work of Hungarian MEPs based on the reports and shadow reports, opinions and amendments they have drafted since the beginning of the 2014—2019 term. In evaluating individual work on public policy issues, we assessed that rapporteur assignments represent the apex of work in the European Parliament. Correspondingly, MEPs who were entrusted with assignments as rapporteurs definitely moved up in our rankings. Based on our assessment, Benedek Jávor (Greens/EFA), Tibor Szanyi (S&D), Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz (EPP), Tamás Meszerics (Greens/EFA) and Tamás Deutsch (EPP) were the most hard-working Hungarian MEPs. Two Hungarian politicians, Benedek Jávor, who is a member of the Greens– European Free Alliance group in the EP (hereinafter referred to as the Greens), and Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz, who is a member of the centre-right EPP Group, performed outstandingly in all four areas we investigated, and they were among the five most 1 active Hungarian MEPs in all areas we evaluated.
    [Show full text]
  • E.Saltman Final Thesis Submission
    TURNING RIGHT A Case Study on Contemporary Political Socialization of the Hungarian Youth Erin Marie Saltman School of Slavonic and East European Studies University College London (UCL) Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science 2014 1 I, Erin Marie Saltman, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. X__________________________________ 2 ABSTRACT Young Central and Eastern Europeans are growing up in newly solidifying democratic political systems with a parent generation raised under an entirely different regime. In order to comprehend future sociopolitical dynamics within these countries it is crucial to question how the youth are developing their political knowledge and how they are engaging in political activism. As such, political socialization theory provides a lens for analyzing what forms youth activism is taking as well as tracking the roots of current political trends. Political socialization, as a theory, is relatively straightforward. Experiences and influences of various agents that affect an individual in their earlier years have a significant impact on political outlooks, activism and values in later years. However, implied within this theory, ‘political socialization’ is also a process and a field of research with a variety of methods and research structures. Through primarily qualitative analysis, the research in this case study investigates the influences behind post-communist political trends among the youth, targeting the primary agents of socialization: the family unit, educational institutions and the media. These agents are analyzed in the context of developing partisanships and activism within political parties and grassroots social movements.
    [Show full text]
  • Journalfor the Studyof ANTISEMITISM
    JOURNAL for the STUDY of ANTISEMITISM Eastern European Antisemitism Guest Editor, András Kovács Volume 4 Issue #2 2012 JOURNAL for the STUDY of ANTISEMITISM Volume 4, Issue #2, 2012 Eastern European Antisemitism Guest Editor: Andr´as Kov´acs Dedicated to the victims of Eastern European antisemitism and the courageous people who continue the fight against it. Journal for the Study of Antisemitism (JSA) Steven K. Baum and Neal E. Rosenberg, Editors, Marlton, NJ Steven L. Jacobs, Associate Editor/Judaic Studies, University of Alabama Lesley Klaff, Associate Editor/Law, Sheffield Hallam University, UK Florette Cohen, Associate Editor/Research, College of Staten Island Kenneth L. Marcus, Associate Editor/Academia, Louis D. Brandeis Center, DC Shimon T. Samuels, Chair, Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Paris Ayaan Hirsi Ali, AHA Foundation, AEI, Washington, DC Paul Bartrop, Historian, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL Hadassa Ben-Itto, Author/Judge (Ret.), Tel Aviv Michael Berenbaum, Sigi Ziering Institute, Los Angeles Andrew Bostom, Brown University, Providence, RI Jonathan Boyd, Jewish Policy Research, London Israel W. Charny, Encyclopedia of Genocide, Jerusalem Ben Cohen, Writer, New York Florette Cohen, Social Psychology, College of Staten Island Irwin Cotler, Member of Parliament, Mount Royal, Canada Richard L Cravatts, SPME/Simmons College, Boston Sammy Eppel, Journalist/Human Rights, B’nai Brith, Caracas Bernie Farber, Canadian Jewish Congress, Toronto Manfred Gerstenfeld, JCPA, Jerusalem Sander Gilman, Humanities, Emory University,
    [Show full text]
  • ANDRÁS KOVÁCS Antisemitic Prejudices and Dynamics of Antisemitism in Post-Communist Hungary 1
    András Kovács Antisemitic Prejudices and Dynamics of Antisemitism in Post-Communist Proceedings / International conference “Antisemitism in Europe Today: the Phenomena, the Conflicts” 8–9 November 2013 Organized by the Jewish Museum Berlin, the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” and the Center for Research on Antisemitism Berlin ANDRÁS KOVÁCS Antisemitic Prejudices and Dynamics of Antisemitism in Post-Communist Hungary 1 Antisemitic Prejudices and Dynamics of Antisemitism in Post-Communist Hungary1 András Kovács In the former Communist countries, some consequences from the fall of the regime resembled the conflicts arising out of modernisation in Europe in the 19th century. Not only did the political regime collapse, but all acquired statuses and the associated identities were also undermined. The prospects of upward or downward social mobility for a substantial number of social groups were changed and previ- ous social rules and norms lost their validity. The consequences of life strategies and everyday decisions, which had once been easily calculable, became rather unpredictable. Many perceived a weakening of social cohesion and an unraveling of the social fabric. The fear of social atomisation and losing ties to social integra- tions grew. In the late 19th century it was‒‒among other things‒‒such factors that led to THE development of modern antisemitism. The question today is: Do the conflicts ensuing from the Eastern European transition pose similar risks? Should we fear the emergence of a situation in which major social groups in the post- Communist countries frame their problems in the ever-present language of antisemitism and seek to resolve such problems through the means proposed by antisemitic politics? Empirical studies provide us with a relatively accurate and comparable pic- ture of the changes that have occurred in anti-Jewish prejudice over time.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rise of Jobbik, Populism, and the Symbolic Politics of Illiberalism in Contemporary Hungary
    JEFFREY STEVENSON MURER The Rise of Jobbik, Populism, and the Symbolic Politics of Illiberalism in Contemporary Hungary “The West is doing it to us again,” a middle-aged man in the middle of a crowd told me. “It’s just the same as after the First World War; it’s just the same as after 1989. The West is trying to keep Hungary down.” The man wanted to make sure that I understood, and so he showed me one of the maps he was selling. It was a map of the Kingdom of Hungary, as it was constituted before and during the First World War, all around were the crests of the 64 historic counties of Hungary, and at the bottom were the words from Ferenc Erkel’s 1861 aria My Homeland, you mean everything to me (Hazám, Hazám, Te Mindenem!).1 “This is what we lost,” he said to me. In the same crowd, men wore t-shirts depicting the Kingdom of Hungary ripped apart by sinister, skeletal-like hands. The speaker on the stage began to speak of how the banks pay low taxes, but make big profits, and of “Bank terror” (bank rémület). Some in the crowd chanted: “Our home is not for sale!” (A haza nem eladó), meaning both their literal homes but also referring to the whole of the Hungary. The speaker said that her political party, Jobbik, would not let “the banks colonise Hungary,” to which the group of young skinheads next to me responded: “It’s the Jews! It’s the f*cking Jews! Stop the Jews!”2 Unfortunately, in contemporary Hungary, anti-Semitism remains a very public part of the political landscape.
    [Show full text]