Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said this week that Jewish communities in Budapest are safer than anywhere else in Europe, as data from the Anti-Defamation League shows a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents across the continent.
“Jewish communities are safer in Budapest than anywhere else in Europe. Zero tolerance for anti-Semitism, no hate crimes, no violent migrants,” Orbán wrote in a post on X. “This is what a modern European capital should be.”
Orbán’s claim was publicly supported by Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, who wrote on X that “Budapest is one of the safest and most hospitable European capitals for both the Jewish community and Israeli citizens.”
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Chikli cited what he described as a recent decision by the Swiss city of Basel not to organize a Zionist Youth Congress of about 200 Jewish young people, adding that Hungary agreed to host the event and a senior Hungarian minister gave a speech.
Chikli said Hungary’s approach stems from “a responsible immigration policy that recognizes the danger of radical Islam” and “an uncompromising government policy against anti-Semitism.”
Orbán’s comments come amid a report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) that says anti-Semitism in Europe is escalating at an alarming rate. In a 2024–2025 analysis titled Take action: anti-Semitism is escalating in Europethe ADL reported an increase in anti-Semitic harassment, vandalism, threats and physical attacks in several European countries, especially after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the war in Gaza.
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (L) receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. (Janos Kummer/Getty Images)
According to the ADL, incidents have risen sharply in France, Germany and the United Kingdom, among others. Jewish communities reported increased security threats, while many Jews said they felt unsafe wearing visible religious symbols in public. The ADL warned that Jewish institutions across Europe now require increased security and that anti-Semitism is becoming increasingly normal in public debate.
Hungary is home to the largest Jewish community in Central Europe, with estimates ranging from 80,000 to 100,000 Jews, most of whom live in Budapest.
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Jewish leaders in Hungary have given mixed reviews over the years. Some have praised the government for its investments in the restoration of synagogues, Holocaust memorials and Jewish cultural life, and for maintaining close diplomatic ties with Israel. Others have expressed concerns about nationalist rhetoric and disputes over historical memory, particularly Hungary’s role in the Holocaust.
Before World War II, Hungary had one of the largest Jewish populations in Europe, estimated at around 825,000 people. After the German occupation in March 1944, Hungarian and Nazi authorities deported approximately 430,000–440,000 Jews to Auschwitz within weeks, most of whom were murdered upon arrival. In total, historians estimate that approximately 564,000 Hungarian Jews were murdered during the Holocaust.
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Visitors view photos of Jews who died in the Holocaust in the Hall of Names at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem on Sunday, April 7, 2013. Israel’s annual day of remembrance for the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust of World War II begins at sunset on Sunday. (Sebastian Scheiner/AP2013)
Orbán’s government has repeatedly rejected accusations of anti-Semitism at home, citing its close relationship with Israel and public opposition to anti-Semitic violence. Hungarian officials often compare Budapest to major Western European cities where Jewish institutions now require heavy police protection and where protests related to the Gaza war have sometimes turned violent.
According to the ADL, anti-Semitic narratives have now spread across the European political spectrum and online platforms, contributing to a climate of fear even in countries once considered safe for Jewish life.
