The Hungarian Jewish community has expressed outrage after one of its leaders was pictured surrounded by banknotes on the cover of a pro-government magazine, saying the image “revives centuries-old stereotypes against our community.”

Andras Heisler, head of the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities (Mazsihisz), was featured on the front page of Figyelo, a magazine that supports Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. 

The article in the publication accused both Mr Heisler and Mazsihisz of accounting irregularities in a state-funded synagogue renovation project in Budapest, allegations the organisation strongly denies.

Mazsihisz described the depiction of Mr Heisler as "incitement against a religious leader -- without any factual basis” describing it as being “unprecedented" since the end of Communism in the country. 

Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl called it “abhorrent".

She said: “It perpetuates centuries-old stereotypes and tropes against the Jewish community. We call on the Hungarian government to condemn this act.'' 

Rabbi Andrew Baker, director of International Jewish Affairs for the American Jewish Congress (AJC) described the cover as employing “a familiar, disgraceful antisemitic trope.

“This attack on Hungary’s Jewish community is shameful, especially since Prime Minister Orbán has declared a ‘zero tolerance policy’ on antisemitism.”

Israel’s embassy in Hungary said that ambassador Yossi Amrani had contacted Mr Heisler “to express his personal dismay and shock” over the “disgraceful” magazine cover.

In the past, the Israeli government has overruled its own embassy regarding the depiction of Jews in Hugary.

Last year Israel’s ambassador to Hungary criticised pro-government election posters featuring George Soros, the Hungarian Jewish billionaire, urging voters, “Don’t let Soros have the last laugh”

Mr Amrani said the posters evoked "sad memories, but also sow[ing] hatred and fear”, but Israel’s Foreign Ministry unprecedentedly walked back the comments, saying that “in no way was the statement [by the ambassador] meant to delegitimise criticism of George Soros, who continuously undermines Israel's democratically elected governments by funding organisations that defame the Jewish state and seek to deny it the right to defend itself.”

Earlier this year, Figyelo published a list of some 200 civil servants, academics and journalists it said were in the pay of Mr Soros.

Mr Orban backed the publication of the list, saying it promoted “transparency.”

Responding to the latest incident, Tzipi Livni, leader of Israel’s Zionist Union coalition and the country’s official opposition, tweeted: “The Israeli government must return to the forefront in the struggle against antisemitism. 

“No Israeli interest can justify turning a blind eye. An attack on our brothers is an attack on us. It’s the moral & historic imperative of the State of the Jewish people & demands action.”

https://twitter.com/Tzipi_Livni/status/1068955552150110210  

On Saturday night, the Israeli embassy in Hungary confirmed that the Israeli Prime Minister’s foreign policy advisor had spoken to Hungary’s ambassador in Israel “and condemned the publication of the picture of the leader of the Hungarian Jewish community” as well as “asking the government of Hungary to denounce any antisemitic nuance in internal Hungarian conflicts.”