Address by Minister János Martonyi at the Conference on "Jewish Life And Anti-Semitism in Contemporary Europe" on 2 October 2013.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

This conference was about a common fight, a fight against anti-Semitism, which means a fight against evil and against death, against the destruction of civilisation and against the destruction of the good side of human nature by the evil side.

So, in a way it is a fight between good and evil. It is a fight between life and death. And, as I understand, we choose life. I think this is the main message of this conference. We choose life and life can never be defeated.

John Lukács wrote that when the Second World War was coming to an end, Hitler thought that, okay, clearly I cannot win the war, but I can still win the war against the Jews. And despite the murder of six million innocent lives, he did not win that war either.

The State of Israel was founded and Jewish life, culture resurrected across the world. But, as it has also been referred to, civilisation is paper-thin. I think Katrina Lantos was referring to her father, Tom Lantos’s words. So, that is why, I fully agree, we have to be vigilant, we have to be relentless. As said, we have to get up every morning with the thought that this can never, never happen again. And yes, also, we need the survivors like Tom and Annette Lantos, to remind us, to warn us, to testify and to tell, to explain the truth.

Yes, anti-Semitism is, indeed, a crime against humanity, we all know. But beyond this universal message, I believe that for us, Hungarians there is also a special significance to anti-Semitism and, to the Holocaust, because the Hungarian Holocaust was committed by and against Hungarians. Both the perpetrators and the victims were Hungarians. And, believe me, this is our biggest national trauma we have to live with, we have to confront, we have to cope with. What shall we do? What can we do? First thing, as it has been referred to, is to accept and to admit responsibility. As was said, eloquently by the Deputy Prime Minister yesterday, I would just like to underline that this statement by Tibor Navracsics was made on behalf of the Hungarian government, was made on behalf of Hungary. It was made on behalf of the Hungarian nation, just like other statements carrying the same message, including mine, for instance, at the beginning of the Wallenberg Year.

It is a national tragedy, because there was a community that had been living with us for, some people say and I believe them, at least twelve centuries. A community that gave an immense and immeasurable contribution, to the progress and well-being of this nation, to Hungarian culture, Hungarian literature, Hungarian science, economy and so on and so forth.

Yes, that was precisely this constructive co-existence as it has been referred to by Bishop Gáncs, and yes, indeed, that was also the Fasori Gimnázium, if you think of the Nobel Prize winners who had studied there. And yes, it was also the Revolution and War of Independence in 1848-49, when our Jewish compatriots were fighting and dying for the freedom and independence of Hungary. And I would like to assure you, Rabbi Raj, that your congregation was not only good for Lajos Kossuth, but it is also good for my Government and for my Parliament. I do not want to get into all the details, you are a registered church and there is an additional revision going on, hopefully with a positive outcome.

But I believe the conference is not only about opposing the bad and evil. It is also about proposing a future. And that is why the title carries also the word Jewish life, because, yes, we all believe in a Jewish resurrection, a Jewish renaissance in this country. This is also part of the message that we all choose life. We now have a vibrant and flourishing Jewish community. There are, of course, concerns, which have also been voiced at this conference. But the main point is that we live together. And we very much believe in a constructive co-existence for the next decades, indeed, centuries.

Now, let me tell you one or two words about foreign policy, because I happen to be the Foreign Minister of this government. It is an old and never-ending debate what foreign policy has to be based upon: upon values, or, conversely, upon interest, or, on both, in a given proportion between the two. No secret, I am one of those who still believe that, fundamentally, foreign policy should or has to be based upon values. If you want to follow values you have to have ideas. And if you want to have ideas, yes, you have to accept and you have to recognise responsibility. And when we speak about our Middle-East policy, when we speak about the State of Israel, we should never forget about the historic responsibility that we have. That is point number one. Point number two is that we have a very-very special bond between the two countries. As said, we have an extremely important Jewish community in this country, but at the same time there is also a 200 thousand strong community of Hungarian-speaking Israeli citizens in Israel, many of whom, by the way, are also Hungarian citizens. Many of them, by the way, will also vote next year, in April 2014 at the general elections in Hungary. This is I believe a very-very special bond between the two countries and that is why I think that our policy always has to take into account these fundamental facts, these fundamental considerations.

Now, coming back to the conference, some people think – they are probably right – that this conference is a gesture. Much has been said about gestures towards our Jewish community, or indeed, Jewish communities altogether. That is all true. But we should not forget that this conference first and foremost helps the whole Hungarian nation and only thereafter its Hungarian Jewish community. It helps us to live with, to cope with exactly that national trauma I was speaking about. So, we thank you very much for this. We are on the receiving side of this conference. And I tell you this, because I am grateful to all who recognised the efforts we make in our fight against anti-Semitism and racism. We also thank those who reminded us that this fight has to be continued relentlessly and, also, it should be, from time to time more robust – so that is the main message - which we fully accept. And Rabbi Raj, I would agree with your proposition that next year should be a year of repentance and reconciliation. I would only add that this is something which is not for one year only but it is a continuous exercise. Repentance and reconciliation will go on even after next year. And that is exactly the message that we should never give up. We should be vigilant and we have to renew our strength and our resolve and our determination to fight for the good and to fight against the evil. Whether this is domestic politics, whether this is foreign policy, international relations, we always follow the same principles and the same values.

Finally, I would just like to thank you all, the organisers, everybody who contributed to this conference. I would like to thank you, Tom. Köszönöm, Tamás. I thank you for your help that you gave us through your memory and also through your family, Annette and Katrina. My only wish is, please, stay with us. I am one of those, who believe that you have been and are with us even now, so my only wish is, please, stay with us also in the future.

Thank you for your attention.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)