The Prime Minister’s Office does not hinder the opening of House of Fates, a project commemorating child victims of the Holocaust, in any way and regards the approval of the Jewish community of Hungary and the experts especially important – Deputy State Secretary for Priority Social Affairs reported.

The statement of Csaba Latorczai’s was given as an answer to MTI responding to the assumption of The Public Foundation for the Research of Central and East European History and Society – in charge of creating the professional concept of the House of Fates – according to which Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office János Lázár was purposely hindering the opening of the memorial site; however, the Foundation wishes to continue the work already in progress, so that the institute can open its doors in the area of the former Józsefváros train station. In its statement sent to MTI on Monday, the Public Foundation expressed its incomprehension as to why the Prime Minister’s Office published an internal working paper on the House of Fates written in autumn 2013 as a final concept.

According to a Monday article of Hungarian daily Népszabadság, the background of the case is that the Prime Minister’s Office sent out a document on the Józsefváros institute for review signed by Chief Director of the House of Terror Museum Mária Schmidt, who is in charge of establishing the House of Fates. The paper also quoted historians and leaders of Jewish communities, who found the document professionally not acceptable.

Answering MTI’s question, the Deputy State Secretary for Priority Social Affairs said that the Prime Minister’s Office did not hinder the opening of the House of Fates, on the contrary, “we are interested in the institute opening its doors as soon as possible”.

Fact is, however, that such a memorial site can only be established with the approval of the Jewish community and the historian profession, Csaba Latorcai added. That is why the Prime Minister’s Office sent them the preliminary technical and exhibition concept of the House of Fates. The Deputy State Secretary denied that it was sent out as a finalised plan and emphasised that in the cover letter it was stressed that it was “a preliminary technical and exhibition concept”.

He added that the Prime Minister’s Office, too has only been informed of the fact that there might be an updated version of the draft plan from the statement of the Public Foundation, but provided that they receive it, they are ready to send it to the members of the Jewish Roundtable Community for review in order to reach a consensus.

The Deputy State Secretary has pointed out several times that it was very difficult to imagine that the House of Fates would be opened without the agreement of the Hungarian Jewish community and the historian profession.
Csaba Latorcai emphasised that a consensus must be reached, otherwise the plans of establishing the House of Fates will be dismissed.

(Prime Minister's Office, MTI)