Jewish identity

For a few months now there has been public debate about whether Hungarian Jews should be officially recognised as a national minority, and whether to set up a centralised, governmental organisation for them. In an interview Andras Kovacs, a sociologist at the Budapest Central European University, argues against such a move. "In Hungary Jewish identity is an à la carte identity: some have the menorah (the seven-armed candelabrum) in their homes, yet still eat pork; others celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, yet still do gardening on the Sabbath. Some like to go to the synagogue once a year and also celebrate Christmas. For others, Jewish identity consists simply of a fear of anti-Semitism. How can a single, centralised government organisation represent all this diversity?"

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