Hungary's Orbán says Budapest is Europe’s safest city for Jews as antisemitism surges

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said this week that Jewish communities are safer successful Budapest than anyplace other successful Europe, arsenic information from nan Anti-Defamation League constituent to a crisp emergence successful antisemitic incidents crossed nan continent.

"Jewish communities are safer successful Budapest than anyplace other successful Europe. Zero tolerance for antisemitism, nary dislike crimes, nary convulsive migrants," Orbán wrote successful a station connected X. "This is really a modern European superior ought to be."

Orbán’s declare was publically backed by Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, who wrote connected X that "Budapest is 1 of nan safest and astir welcoming European capitals for its Jewish organization and for Israeli citizens alike."

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Chikli cited what he described arsenic a caller determination by nan Swiss metropolis of Basel not to big a Zionist Youth Congress of astir 200 Jewish youths, adding that Hungary agreed to big nan arena and that a elder Hungarian curate delivered a speech.

Chikli said Hungary’s attack stems from "a responsible migration argumentation that recognizes nan threat posed by extremist Islam" and "an uncompromising authorities argumentation against antisemitism."

Orbán’s remarks travel amid an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) study that stated antisemitism successful Europe is escalating astatine an alarming pace. In a 2024–2025 study titled Take Action: Antisemitism Is Escalating successful Europe, nan ADL reported a surge successful antisemitic harassment, vandalism, threats and beingness attacks crossed aggregate European countries, peculiarly pursuing nan Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas onslaught connected Israel and nan warfare successful Gaza.

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (L) receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu connected April 3, 2025 successful Budapest, Hungary. ( Janos Kummer/Getty Images)

According to nan ADL, incidents roseate sharply successful countries including France, Germany and nan United Kingdom. Jewish communities reported accrued information threats, while galore Jews said they felt unsafe wearing visible belief symbols successful public. The ADL warned that Jewish institutions crossed Europe now require heightened information and that antisemitism is becoming progressively normalized successful nationalist discourse.

Hungary is location to nan largest Jewish organization successful Central Europe, pinch estimates ranging from 80,000 to 100,000 Jews, astir of them surviving successful Budapest.

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Jewish leaders successful Hungary person offered mixed assessments complete nan years. Some person praised nan authorities for investing successful synagogue restoration, Holocaust memorials and Jewish taste life, arsenic good arsenic for maintaining adjacent negotiated ties pinch Israel. Others person expressed interest astir nationalist rhetoric and disputes complete humanities memory, peculiarly regarding Hungary’s domiciled successful nan Holocaust.

Before World War II, Hungary had 1 of Europe’s largest Jewish populations, estimated astatine astir 825,000 people. Following nan German business successful March 1944, Hungarian and Nazi authorities deported astir 430,000–440,000 Jews to Auschwitz successful a matter of weeks, astir of whom were murdered connected arrival. Overall, historians estimate that astir 564,000 Hungarian Jews were killed during nan Holocaust.

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Visitors look astatine pictures of Jews killed successful nan Holocaust successful nan Hall of Names successful nan Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial successful Jerusalem, Sunday, April 7, 2013. The yearly Israeli memorial time for nan 6 cardinal Jews killed successful nan Holocaust of World War II originates astatine sundown Sunday. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) (AP2013)

Orbán’s authorities has many times rejected accusations of antisemitism astatine home, pointing to its close narration pinch Israel and its nationalist guidance to antisemitic violence. Hungarian officials often opposition Budapest pinch awesome Western European cities wherever Jewish institutions now require dense constabulary protection and wherever protests linked to nan Gaza warfare person astatine times turned violent.

According to nan ADL, antisemitic narratives person now dispersed crossed Europe's governmental spectrum and online platforms, contributing to a ambiance of fearfulness moreover successful countries erstwhile considered safe for Jewish life.