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Former Nazi Apologist Meets Chabad Rabbi
After being ousted from the far-right Jobbik party following an uproar over the discovery of his Jewish roots, former Hungarian Member Parliament Csanad Szegedi has met with a Chabad rabbi.
Recounting his reaction to the request, Rabbi Shlomo Koves said that he “was stunned,” according to the Wall Street Journal,“But as a rabbi, it is my duty to receive anybody who requests advice or help,” he said in explaining his decision to agree to the meeting.
Hungarian news website Nepszabadsag reported that Szegedi apologized to the rabbi, saying, “Had I made any comments in the past years that offended the Jewish community, I ask for forgiveness.”
“Szegedi is in the midst of a difficult learning process of self-awareness and re-evaluation,” said the rabbi in an email to The Algemeiner “we all hope that it will end positively. Whether this will happen or not depends on his own free will.”
Szegedi also expressed a desire to visit the Auschwitz, where his grandmother was held by the Nazis. “Now that I have been faced with my Jewish roots, that I do not regret at all, keeping in touch with the leaders of the Hungarian Jewish community has become especially important for me,” said Szegedi.
The rabbi expressed reserved encouragement to the ex-Jobbik vice-president following the meeting. “I wish for him that he be able to redeem the past years. He can do that best, if, apart from getting to know his own roots, he does everything in his power to keep others from being led astray, like he had been,” said Koves.
“I call on my own community and the general public to await the outcome of the case and not to set hasty judgment,” concluded the rabbi.
In an exclusive interview with The Algemeiner last month Koves, who was challenged to a debate by Gabor Vona, leader of the Nazi apologist party, outright declined the request. “Here is a party which makes openly anti-Semitic comments,” he said at the time, “what is there to debate about.”
Andrea Schonberger
Oh, so after the Jobbik party kicks Szegedi out on account of his Jewish grandmother he’s snuggling up to Rabbi Koves and wants to visit Auschwitz. Whatever!!!
Ilan
it was a bit more complicated than that.
Jobbik party member told him he was jewish, he didn’t believe it and went to check with his grandma, which turned out to be true. Now Jobbik party forced him to quit the vice presidency of the party and become a regular party member. The idea behind this is that jobbik can now spread antisemitic hate messeges as legitimate because they have a jewish member.He said no to the “pet jew” job and left.
He wants to bring his antisemitic father to israel to show him that jews are not bad.
Let me ask you this, if you were in his shoes and wanted to make amends… what would you do?
AA
Yes, Andrea, that seems to be a pretty fair summary of the article. What’s with the dismissive “Whatever,” though? In your world, is it never possible that someone does the right thing for the right reasons rather than for political gain?
Devorah Leah
to #2
why a Jewish man should join the far right (fascist party)????????
Mitnagid
#1,You are not being very supportive of this poor fella who tries to get close to his roots and visit the place where his relatives died,are you?For my part,I hope he’ll end up performing giur if he’s not Jewish al pi Halakha already!
Mitnagid
Btw,I’ve found online that he’s already halakhically Jewish.The irony of Jobbik is that also the extremely antisemitic Morvai Krisztina is Jewish (had a Jewish mom)……
AA
Devorah Leah:
He didn’t know at the time that he was Jewish. Are you going to do the same kind of second-guessing about other baalei teshuvah, “Why should a Jewish man eat treif?” or “Why should a Jewish woman break Shabbos?” No, their past is in the past, and they – and this person too – are trying their best to make a clean break with it.
Ilan
to be exact, his grandmother and mother hid their judaism.His mom married an antisemite who raised him to be an antisemite.Now add great charisma and leadership skills and you get Szegegi
Andrea Schonberger
Sorry friends but Szegedi reminds me of my sister-in-law who attends church and for years denied that her parents are Jews. When the cat got out of the bag she INSISTED, yes INSISTED, that she was a Jewish girl who just happened to be a born-again christian. Unlike Szegedi she was lucky–her fellow church members were thrilled about her heritage and didn’t kick her out. If only someone could put some sense into her. We need Moshiach NOW!
CH Lubavitcher
Being far right is in no way a testament to a person’s tolerance. Geert Wilders for example, is a far right politician in Netherlands which is in love with the Jews. Whereas noted leftist Senator Robert Byrd was a KKK member. Painting the far right as a testament to hate, is a propagandist strategy leftists utilize. I am far right and don’t have a racist bone in my body. Hitler was a socialist and…
Ilan
Hitler and/or the Nazi party weren’t leftwing…they were extremely rightwing with a leftwing name. The same applies to the Democratic People’s republic of Korea(North Korea) which is in no way democratic or of the people.
Shmulie
The man is evil. Just because he discovered he has Jewish roots does not make him good. If he has changed, let his deeds speak before his words.
Mitnagid
In Hungary not all Jews have typical German sounding surnames;many have totally Hungarian surnames and nobody can say the are Jews.My father (who was born in 1924 and survived the tragic 40s in Hungary)told me that he knew about several fellow university students who were pro-Nazi untill they were requested by the race laws to produce evidence of having 4 Aryan grandparents.
Only then,after an embarassed silence from their parents at this apparently easy thing to prove,they discoverd who they were……
David
Read http://drmandler.wordpress…. for more on this story and others on the Jobbik party’s relations to Jews.
A -son- of the Rebbe
Love your neighbor.
We are his Family!
Love is Giving.
Start with giving the benefit of the doubt to your Family.
If anyone should Love him it’s his Family, not confused opposition.
They stand for themselves.
We stand for ALL.
I am not a Rabbi.
I am a progressively Torah ideologue.