“Without the sacrifices that Hungarian Jews made during the First World War, it would have been impossible to defend our homeland”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at a centenary memorial on Monday to mark the renovation of WWI graves in the Kozma Street Jewish Cemetery.

At Plot 12 of the cemetery, Viktor Orbán paid tribute to the Jews who sacrificed their lives for Hungary.

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“We regard the soldiers who fought against superior Russian numbers to protect Hungary as heroes”, the Prime Minister underlined in his address to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the liberation of the Uzhok Pass.

“The road from comradeship with the heroic Jews of the First World War to the concentration camps of the Second World War is incomprehensible”, the Prime Minister said, adding that “It is our moral obligation to uncover these graves and to preserve the names of our war heroes”.

During the First World War, hundreds of Jewish soldiers were buried in the Kozma Street Cemetery. The Government has provided HUF 200 million to fund the renovation of the graves.

President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary András Heisler said the recent renovation of the cemetery plot also serves as a reminder that Hungarian Jews have been a part of the nation for centuries.

(Prime Minister's Office, MTI)