20 January 2020 | Budapest, Hungary [Tamás Ócsai]
Jenő Szigeti, a former president of Hungarian Union Conference and a Church historian, has been awarded a prize for his life-long work in higher educational and pastoral care, focused on minorities.
The prize is given to individuals or organisations who uplift high ethical standards and demonstrate serving minorities, those discriminated against or underprivileged people.
In his speech, Professor Szigeti highlighted that every human being is a minority because everyone is unique. “The core of our existence is to understand and accept others,” he said.
The deputy ambassador of Sweden together with the deputy minister of the Hungarian Government handed out the prize, awarded by the Wallenberg Association at a ceremony hosted by the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities (MAZSIHISZ) on Thursday, 16 January 2020.
Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat who served in Budapest, Hungary during the Wold War II. He is remembered for saving tens of thousands of Jews in Nazi-occupied Hungary. The prize is given in his honour to perpetuate his humanitarian ideals and the nonviolent courage.
Seventh-day Adventists in Hungary, and especially the president worked with Wallenberg during WWII to help save lives. Wallenberg handed them “protective passports”. László Michnay aided them by hiding Jews in the central church building in Budapest and other places. The membership helped to feed them and to smuggle them into safety.
Michnay, whose story is told more fully here, was the first ever Hungarian to have received the Jad Vasem award on 5 May 1964.
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, editor; Deana Stojković, associate editor
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