Hungary

By BosNewsLife News Center in Budapest BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- A funeral service was underway Wednesday, March 10, for a former Hungarian chief rabbi who was persecuted under Communism because of his involvement in spreading the Jewish faith,the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary (MAZSIHISZ) confirmed.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- Hungary's center-right government said Saturday, July 6, it had reached a multimillion dollar deal with a US-based Holocaust restitution organization on compensation for Hungarian survivors living abroad, prompting some angry reactions from former Nazi death camp inmates.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- An influential Jewish group said Monday, November 10, that windows of a synagogue in eastern Hungary were smashed on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Nazi-incited riots of Kristallnacht.In a statement, the Rabbinical Center of Europe confirmed that the incident took place late Saturday, November 8, in a synagogue of the Jewish Community Center in the Hungarian town of Debrecen, about 230 kilometers (140 miles) east of the capital Budapest.Sunday. November 9, was the commemoration of Kristallnacht, or "Night of the Broken Glass," when 91 Jews were killed in violence whipped up by Nazi stormtroopers, while hundreds of synagogues and thousands of Jewish-owned businesses were ransacked in Germany and Austria. The Kristallnacht is seen as the beginning of the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were killed by the Nazis during World War Two. Some 600.000 Hungarian Jews were among those who perished in the Holocaust. "DAILY LIFE"The Rabbinical Center said anti-Semitic attacks were again "part of the daily life of Jews in Europe" and that it was necessary to educate young non-Jews about prejudice to combat its effects. Sunday's incident in Debrecen came amid concerns over rising right-wing extremism in Hungary and groups such as the Magyar Garda, or Hungarian Guard, whose members wear uniforms resembling the Nazi-era. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for this weekend's attack on the Jewish synagogue. END

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife reporting from Budapest BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- The United States and Hungary have agreed to help persecuted Christians...

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent reporting from Budapest BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- British Prime Minister David Cameron is visiting Hungary on Thursday amid tensions over his plans to cut benefits for Eastern Europeans in Britain, including Hungarians, though he is expected to agree with his Hungarian counterpart on limiting the power of the European Union.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- Imre Kertész, the Hungarian-Jewish author who survived Nazi death camp Auschwitz as a teenager and later won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his Holocaust-inspired works, has died. The 86-year-old passed away at 4.am local time following a long illness, said book publishing firm Magvető Kiadó in a statement. Kertész was the first Hungarian national to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2002, though Hungarians had already won Nobel science awards.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife reporting from Budapest BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- After some 60 years, the oldest synagogue in Hungary's capital Budapest will reopen for the public Wednesday, September 8, just in time for the Jewish New Year. The synagogue was forced to close its doors following the Holocaust, when Hungary became a Communist nation. Israel has described the event as proof of a revival of Jewish culture and religion in the country, despite concerns about anti-Semitism here.

Listen:  By BosNewsLife News Center with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos THE HAGUE/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Former Bosnian-Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has denied responsibility for genocide and other war crimes, saying instead he should be rewarded for trying to avoid more bloodshed.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife reporting from Hungary BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- Fresh from reelection, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán already faced an international hurdle Wednesday, April 9, after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemned a controversial church law.