Imagine that one day you realize that you are not someone considered themselves to be, and that you really embody everything that I hate. This is what happened to one political radical in Hungary. We want to share a story about the crisis of this man and his miraculous transformation.
Once he was a rising star one of the biggest and most controversial political parties in Hungary “Jobbik”. Members of “Jobbik” were called fascists and anti-Semites. Magyarcsanád Szeged in 20 years set a goal — to one day lead this party.
“I joined “Jobbik” in 2003, when he laid the Foundation of the party. I was a member for 9 years. I was Vice President for 6 years and sat in the European Parliament since 2009,” says Magyarcsanád Szeged.
Szeged also called an anti-Semite, even though in our interview he did not agree with this.
“When I joined “Jobbik”, it is a neutral attitude to the Jews. The Jews did not concern me. I didn’t care about the Holocaust. I did not consider the Holocaust a tragedy of the Hungarian people. I read a lot of anti-Semitic literature,” he says.
However, Szeged was the leader of the party, which almost all called anti-Semitic. His public statements at least, talked about the fact that he was not in awe of the Jews and treated them with suspicion.
But all that changed when csanád County szegedi learned something about myself. And it turned his world upside down. Csanád County szegedi himself was a Jew. On the Internet rumors that Szeged was Jewish roots. He went to talk to his 94-year-old grandmother, who never called himself a Jew.
“She opened up and told about his life, about how she was sent to Auschwitz and how he destroyed our entire family, says Szeged. I was in shock. First, because I realized that the Holocaust was actually”.
Not knowing what to do next, Magyarcsanád at first tried to conceal their Jewish roots and act like nothing happened. But in the end he realized that he could not stay in the “Jabbeke”.
“I understand that you can’t be part of an organization that is associated with anti-Semitism,” he says.
What to do when you recognize that you are a part of that so hated? In the case Canada Szeged – change. Szeged contacted the local Rabbi Shlomo Coves, which at first I thought it was a joke.
“When we first met Canada, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was the one who for many years was considered one of the leaders of the party “Jobbik”. On the other hand, I saw a broken man who realized what he had done. He realized that had to change, but didn’t know how to do it,” recalls Rabbi Shlomo Coves of the Jewish community “Emikh”.
Magyarcsanád began to attend the synagogue. He admits that the first time, some treated him like a leper and literally went out of the synagogue when he came. But there were those who decided to befriend him. He began to take classes to study Hebrew, the values of kashrut and Shabbat. How your life changed after you found out you were Jewish?
“It changed everything. I was born again. And change still is not over. I had one system of values to 30 years. I had to admit that she was wrong, and to find the strength to change,” said csanád County szegedi.
One of the main events of his life was a trip to Israel with his wife. There he visited the Holocaust Museum and the wailing Wall.
“When I landed in Israel, the airport security asked me a lot of questions. And when the guard asked me, “are You a Jew?” then for the first time in my life, I said, “Yes,” he says.
What’s it like to learn to be a Jew?
“You feel that you are on the right track spiritually and closer to God. For me it’s something new. I feel that you are doing something right. My life was filled with amazing wonders. I believe that every person who chooses God’s way, svida miracles” — meets Magyarcsanád Szeged.