Jewish leaders in Hungary condemned a politician from the far-right Jobbik party who refused to honor the memory of a former chief rabbi.
The Mazsihisz federation of Hungarian Jewish communities issued its condemnation Friday against Laszlo Benke, an alderman of Budapest’s 13th district representing Jobbik — a movement which the European Jewish Congress has called both neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic, though the party rejects this description.
According to Mazsihisz, Benke on Feb. 12 remained seated in his chair despite the request by the district’s mayor, Jozef Toth, that all alderman stand up in memory of former chief rabbi Jozsef Schweitzer, who died on Feb. 5 at the age of 92. He was an honorary resident of the district.
Throughout the minute of silence in Schweitzer’s memory, Benke remained the only person in the room seated, according to Mazsihisz, which also said he later boasted about his action to people who were not present.
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