Der Spiegel gets it wrong

„Is Budapest «Europe’s capital of anti-Semitism»? Der Spiegel appears to think so. That is the headline for a lengthy article by Eric Follath, which reports that the Hungarian capital is «experiencing a rebirth of anti-Semitism» and that Jews are «being openly intimidated». The article has triggered an angry reaction here. Writing in HVG, a liberal weekly, János Pelle described the article as «hateful». (...)

Mr Follath also seeks to elide the difference between the governing centre-right party, Fidesz, and Jobbik, portraying them as two parts of a right-wing populist-nationalist continuum. It is true that Fidesz did court far-right voters, for a while. But times change, even in Budapest. (...)

The problem with one-sided screeds like Mr Follath’s is that they portray Jewish life here solely through the warped prism of anti-Semitism, rather than its much more complex, and healthy, reality. (...) There are a dozen functioning synagogues in Budapest, an annual Jewish summer festival heavily promoted across the city and numerous cultural organisations. While Mr Follath found time during his reporting to meet Zsolt Várkonyi, a Jobbik spokesman, he does not appear to have met any Hungarian rabbis or representatives from Mazsihisz, the official Hungarian Jewish community organisation.”