Ronald S. Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, had some sharp words this week, regarding plans to erect a statue in memory of historian Bálint Hóman, Hungary’s Minister of Religion and Education between 1932 and 1938, and again between 1939 and 1942, during the fascistic Horthy era. The statue is planned for the western Hungarian town of Székesfehérvár. While some politicians in Admiral Miklós Horthy’s Hungary were less supportive of Adolf Hitler’s Germany and sought peace with the Allies in 1943, Mr. Hóman was firmly in the pro-Hitler camp. In 1944, he sided with the Hitlerite Arrow Cross leadership, escaped to Germany in early 1945, and was eventually captured by American soldiers. Bálint Hóman was convicted of war crimes in 1946 and spent the rest of his life in prison.

The plans for a Hóman-statue led to protests among liberal activists and some left-leaning Hungarian Jews, who are widely perceived as being “radical” by those in the Hungarian Jewish community who are supportive of the Orbán government. Organized via Facebook, these small groups of activists have pledged to physically stop authorities from erecting the statue and if necessary, will take action to dismantle it. The activists showed up unannounced at the future location of the statue and erected a makeshift memorial to the persecuted of the interwar Horthy regime. Many of the activists were also the ones who continue to protest the German occupation monument in Budapest’s Szabadság tér and hold open air lectures and vigils several times each week.

The President of the World Jewish Congress did not mince his words in responding to the news of the statue, which includes a 15 million forint contribution from the Orbán government:

“It is quite outrageous that the Hungarian taxpayer should fund a monument for a man who was not only an anti-Semite, a key figure in the persecution of Hungarian Jews before and during World War II and a supporter of Nazi Germany and the fascist Arrow Cross regime in 1944, but who also remained unrepentant until his death. Today, I call on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to intervene in this matter and to ensure that this statue is not built with public funds. If this happens, Hungary would send out the wrong message on how to deal with sensitive issues such as the Holocaust.”

We’re sharing the letter addressed to Viktor Orbán from the U.S. Congress Taskforce for Combatting Anti-Semitism below:

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Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) also issued the following statement:

“I am deeply distressed that the Hungarian Government, even during their year-long chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, continues to shamelessly whitewash history. Plans to honor a man known as the architect of Hungary’s anti-Jewish laws come on the heels of the erection of the much criticized ‘occupation memorial’ in Budapest last year and while controversies about the government’s alternative Holocaust museum remain unresolved. Plans to build a tribute to Balint Homan cannot be reconciled with Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s stated policy of ‘zero tolerance’ for anti-Semitism. I urge Hungary to end the rehabilitation of anti-Semitic figures and to disavow efforts to honor members of the murderous wartime regime.”