Commissioner Andrew Friedman and his wife, Chanie, made an official visit to Hungary as guests of Hungarian President Janos Ader. The president was reciprocating Friedman’s invitation to him as the president of Bais Naftoli, an Orthodox Congregation in Los Angeles. During that visit, the president emphasized and acknowledged the responsibility of Hungary in the murder of 500,000 innocent Jewish men, women and children during the Holocaust.
The president advised during the meeting that Hungary has committed over eight million dollars to the refurbishing of synagogues and cemeteries. This year, Hungary is chairing The International Holocaust Alliance, comprised of over thirty countries. The discussion centered on Hungary’s recent closing of its border to migrants which will have the desired result of reducing the strength of the extreme right wing Jobbik party. Hopefully, it will benefit the Viktor Orban government, whose government is doing everything within its power to revitalize Jewish life in Hungary.
At the conclusion of the meeting, which lasted one and a half hours, the president was presented with a certificate from Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilman Paul Koretz at the official home of President Ader at Sandor Palace in Budapest.
