Budapest
Hungarians are divided over a plan to erect a statue to a former prime minister who passed Europe’s first anti-Jewish law of the 20th century. Pal Teleki supported a 1920 law that limited the number of university places given to Jews. But he is revered in Hungary for his opposition to Nazi Germany’s attempts to dominate the continent. He committed suicide in 1941, when Germany asked Hungary to help invade Yugoslavia. The Teleki Memorial Committee said this week that while the Jewish laws were regrettable, they were among the most moderate in Europe and should not detract from the good Teleki did. Jewish groups said a statue honoring a symbol of “institutional anti-Semitism” would be inappropriate. Some 600,000 of Hungary’s 800,000 Jews died in the Holocaust.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
5 ways to help the environment while on vacationThe Week Recommends An afternoon of planting trees could be the best part of your trip
-
Doctors are taking on dental duties in low-income areasUnder the radar Physicians are biting into the dentistry industry
-
Instagram hopes that blurring nudity in messages will make teens saferThe Explainer The option will be turned on by default for users under 18
