The biggest threat to western-European Jewry is illegal immigration. As illegal immigration grew, we clearly see growth in anti-Semitism as well- said the Deputy Secretary for Civilian and Societal Relations in Brussels.
Vince Szalay-Bobrovniczky attending a conference in the European Parliament about the situation of the Jewish communities in the Europe said that one of the key components in protecting the Jewish communities would be not to let any illegal migrants into Europe.
He highlighted that over 80% of western-Europeans, including Jews, think that anti-Semitism is growing and it is a great danger. However in Hungary, the number is way less, and that is also the opinion of the Hungarian Jewry. One of the reasons for this is, that there hardly any public hate speech or violent anti-Semitic attacks, which is not the case in western-Europe.
“The situation in western-Europe is extremely worrying, many Jews leave the region because they think, that politicians cannot guarantee their safety”-
said Mr. Szalay-Bobrovniczky, while he also added, that this partly is caused by the increasing number of Muslim voters and their behavior.
He stated, that western-Europe is in a deep moral crisis which makes it hard for it to answer the challenges of the increasing Muslim population and the leaving of Jews. “The West does not see that there is a serious problem, open society and multiculturalism does not work” – he said.
About the media he said, that their attitude towards the problem many time makes it impossible for Hungary to get these messages across.
„The press is not ready to hold serious dialogues about these issues, although the Hungarian Government would very much like to hold such debates” – he added.
The Deputy Secretary also said, that since 2010, the Hungarian Government grants major and generous funds to the Jewish communities in the country. These funds go to renovation of synagogues, restoration of Jewish cemeteries, funding of the Holocaust Documentation Center, support of Jewish schools and hospitals, while Hungary also pays restitution to the Jewish communities.