Varhelyi addresses opening of exhibition on Ukraine refugee aid efforts

Varhelyi said aid provided to the Jewish community in Ukraine had so far remained invisible, but it was now important to show what people were capable of, as this would serve as an example to others.

“The exhibition shows human suffering in war. Everyone, even those who look at the conflict from afar, should see the human suffering,” Varhelyi said, adding that those affected have found shelter and safety in Hungary.

Slomo Koves, chief rabbi of the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities, Mazsihisz, said the individual stories presented at the exhibition were special examples of the aid given, noting cooperation between European and Israeli Jewish organisations, and cooperation between the European Union and Hungarian government, which provided assistance to the member of the Hungarian community in Ukraine as soon as the war broke out, he said.

“The exhibition is proof that, by working together and striving for peace, there is much we can do for each other,” Koves said, adding that the biblical quote serving as the title of the exhibition “reminds us that we must all responsibility for each other”.

Akos Biro, director of the archives of the Hungarian Autonomous Orthodox Jewish Community (MAOIH), noted that the government has opened the former government resort in Balatonoszod to host the Jews who have fled the war in Ukraine.