Hungarian Jews express concern over Orban–Netanyahu alliance

Monday 29 September 2025 - 14:30

By: Sahili Aya

Hungarian Jews express concern over Orban–Netanyahu alliance

In Budapest, Hungary’s Jewish community—the largest in Central Europe—is experiencing growing tension over the close political ties between Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu. A petition, signed by hundreds of intellectuals, artists, and academics, urges Jewish organizations to distance themselves from what signatories describe as “extremist rhetoric” from both governments.

The petition denounces a climate in which criticism of Israeli policies is often equated with antisemitism, and where public demonstrations calling for peace or a ceasefire face restrictions. According to the signatories, such dynamics risk silencing moderate voices and reducing space for dialogue.

Last Friday, dozens gathered in Budapest at the statue of Hannah Szenes—a Hungarian-born Jewish resistance fighter executed in 1944—to commemorate victims of recent conflicts. The gathering symbolized the community’s internal debate: whether to maintain alignment with Israel’s government or emphasize independent positions rooted in human rights and peace advocacy.

Observers note that these divisions highlight broader questions about identity, political alignment, and the future of Jewish life in Hungary, a country with a complex history of antisemitism and survival.