All in all, the general view of other Hungarians and certain organisations are rather negative. The main arguments are the perpetuation of the bad Hungarian mentality in several aspects, and that it is easier to integrate if one has local friends.
For some, participation is impossible due to the religious rules or the large distances. No one opposes becoming friends with Hungarians, but it is not a priority. And since many of them prefer to avoid these gatherings, friend-ships are usually on a one-to-one basis (although small groups of friends can also be found). It seems from the quotes that many Hungarians are not willing to (or cannot) give up their Hungarian mentality and behave in the same way. There seems to be a tension between those who want to keep the Hungarian community together and those who think one should be an Israeli in Israel (as the saying goes, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”), and so they try to force themselves to be friends only with locals. Only some interviewees seem to believe that this is not an “all-or-nothing” situation, but that one can have both.
Bibliography
Békefi, J., Fejes, I. (2016, January 20). Izraelben az emberek nagyon komoly érzelmi viszonyt ápolnak Magyarországgal [People living in Israel cherish serious emotional relations with Hungary]. Szombat. Retrieved from: http://www.
szombat.org/politika/kulpolitika/izraelben-az-emberek-nagyon-komoly-erzelmi-viszonyt-apolnak-magyarorszaggal Berry, J. W. (2001). A Psychology of Immigration. Journal of Social Issues, 57(2), 615–631.
Buk, M. (1950, May 12). Megszervezhető-e a magyar jishuv Izraelben [Can the Hungarian Yishuv be organised?].
Új Kelet, 1950, p.6.
Central Bureau of Statistics. (2010). Statistical Abstract of Israel 2010 (Table 4.4: ‘Immigrants by Period of Immigra-tion, Country of Birth and Last Country of Residence’). Retrieved from: https://www.cbs.gov.il/en/publications/
Pages/2010/Immigration-Statistical-Abstract-of-Israel-2010-No.61.aspx
Cohen, E. H. (2011). Impact of the Group of Co-migrants on Strategies of Acculturation: Towards an Expansion of the Berry Model. International Migration, 49(4), 1–22. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2435.2009.00589.x
Eriksen, T. H. (2007). Complexity in social and cultural integration: Some analytical dimensions. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 30(6), 1055–1069. doi: 10.1080/01419870701599481
Gyulai, B. (2015, March 21) 5 ok, amiért nem tartanak össze a külföldön élő magyarok [5 reasons why Hungarians living abroad do not stick together]. Velvet. Retrieved from: https://velvet.hu/elet/2015/03/21/5_ok_amiert_nem_tar-tanak_ossze_a_kulfoldon_elo_magyarok/
Karády, V. (2002). Túlélők és újrakezdők [Survivors and Restarters]. Budapest: Múlt és Jövő Kiadó.
MTI. (2014, December 2). Az együttműködés segítésére [For the help of cooperation]. Ma.hu. Retrieved from: http://
www.ma.hu/tudomany/233012/Magyarizraeli_tudos_tarsasag_alakult_Izraelben
Olosz, L. (2015). A Magyar ajkú zsidóság helye az izraeli társadalomban [The situation of the Hungarian speaking Jewry in Israeli society]. In C. Fedinek (Ed.), Határhelyzetek VIII. Terek, intézmények, átmenetek [Borderlines VIII.
Spaces, Institutions, Transitions] (pp.138–159). Budapest: Balassi Intézet Márton Áron Szakkolégium.
Politzer, K. M. (2016, October 15). Az én Izraelem így csinálná – válasz Dr. Nagy Andornak migránsügyben [My Israel would do it this way – answer to Dr. Andor Nagy regarding the migration issue]. Izraelinfo. Retrieved from: http://
izraelinfo.com/2016/10/15/az-en-izraelem-igy-csinalna-valasz-dr-nagy-andornak-migransugyben/
Shiri, Zs. (2013, May 3). Izraeli magyarok: pezsgés minden vonalon [Israeli Hungarians: sparkling in every field].
Szombat. Retrieved from: http://www.szombat.org/politika/izraeli-magyarok-pezsges-minden-vonalon
Shiri, Zs. (2013, July 17). Pezsgés az izraeli magyar szcénán [Sparkling in the Israeli Hungarian scene]. Szombat.
Retrieved from: http://www.szombat.org/politika/pezsges-az-izraeli-magyar-szcenan
Shiri, Zs. (2016, March 28). Elég volt [Enough]. Ujkelet.live. Retrieved from: https://ujkelet.live/2016/03/28/eleg-volt/
Shiri, Zs. (2016, May 5) Magyar napokat rendeznek Tel Avivban [Hungarian Days are being organised in Tel Aviv].
Szombat. Retrieved from: http://www.szombat.org/hirek-lapszemle/magyar-napokat-rendeznek-tel-avivban Silló, S. (2017, January 3). A zsidók titka és a krumpliföld [The secret of the Jews and the potatofield]. Izraelinfo.
Retrieved from: https://izraelinfo.com/2017/01/03/a-zsidok-titka-es-a-krumplifold/
Simonovits, B. et al. (2016). The Social Aspects of the 2015 Migration Crisis in Hungary. Budapest: TÁRKI.
Surányi, R. (forthcoming). The generation of “igen-migen”: Integration of Hungarian émigrés (1939–1957) in Israel and their children.
Appendices
Appendix 1: The socio-demographics of the expert interviewees
ID Type of expert Gender Age Residence Length of stay in Israel
1 Official organization Female 40s Hungary 3–5 years
2 Official organization Male 40s Israel Israeli-born
3 Official organization Female 30s Israel 5–10 years
4 Official organization Female 40s Israel 5–10 years
5 Official organization Female 30s Israel 1–2 years
6 Official organization Female 40s Hungary 3–5 years
7 Official organization Male 50s Israel 3–5 years
8 Official organization Male 50s Hungary 3–5 years
9 Official organization Female 30s Hungary 1–2 years
10 Official organization Male 60s Israel Israeli-born
11 Official organization Female 60s Israel 10+ years
12 Official organization Male 90s Israel Israeli-born
13 Initiative Female 70s Israel 10+ years
14 Initiative Female 20s Israel 5–10 years
15 Initiative Male 60s Israel 10+ years
16 Initiative, online media* Female 40s Israel 5–10 years
ID Type of expert Gender Age Residence Length of stay in Israel
17 Initiative Male 60s Israel 5–10 years
18 Initiative Male 40s Israel 5–10 years
19 Initiative Female 30s Israel 10+ years
20 Initiative Male 40s Israel 10+ years
21 Online/offline media Female 40s Israel 10+ years
22 Online/offline media Female 30s Israel 5–10 years
23 Online/offline media Male 40s Israel 10+ years
24 Online/offline media Female 30s Israel 5–10 years
25 Online/offline media Female 50s Israel 10+ years
26 Online/offline media, initiator Female 40s Israel 10+ years
27 Online/offline media Male 70s Israel 10+ years
28 Online/offline media Male 60s Israel 10+ years
29 Online/offline media Female 30s Israel 5–10 years
30 Online/offline media Female 70s Israel 10+ years
31 Online/offline media, initiator Male 60s Israel 1–2 years
32 Online/offline media Male 60s Israel 3–5 years
33 Online/offline media Female 30s Israel years
*In case of multiple roles, the more important is the first
Appendix 2: The estimated numbers of Jewish immigrants from Hungary to Israel (1919–1961) State of Israel, Facts and
Figures Stark’s estimations
(ba-sed on Israeli data) Statistics of Israel 4.4 Karády – Kende – Kovács – Sanders – Várdy (1984)
Sources: The first two columns are taken from Karády (2002, p.132); the third column is from the CBS web-site and the last column is Karády – Kende – Kovács – Sanders – Várdy (1984).
Appendix 3: Summary of Hungarian organizations, initiatives and online/offline media in Israel
Official organizations/institutions Initiatives, informal events Online/Offline media
Hungarian Embassy in Israel Moadon Hungary Új Kelet
Jewish Agency Leisure Centre ujkelet.live
HOH The Bohemians izraelinfo
Museum of the Hungarian-speaking Jewry The Drory Library
Choma Olim Young Wives of Modi’in
B’nai B’rith