Hungary’s Uneasy Peace With Its Fascist Past, in the Present

Vivian Bercovici travels to Budapest to explore Hungary’s uneasy relationship with its fascist past and how local Jews are navigating its resurgence

I.

Balasz surprised me with his excellent, unaccented English and old-world manners. As he drove to my hotel from Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt airport, I asked him to point out any interesting sites, in spite of the late hour and darkness.

Knowing I had arrived on an El Al flight from Tel Aviv, he chose to take the conversation elsewhere, commenting on how unh…