Hungarian football club honours coach killed by Nazi collaborators
Ferencváros paid tribute to István Tóth ahead of its Europa League qualifying match against Maccabi Tel Aviv
A football club in Budapest has honoured a local Holocaust victim murdered by Hungarian collaborators.
The Ferencváros Torna Club dedicated its match on Thursday against Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv to István Tóth. The UEFA Europa League qualifier at Groupama Stadium in Budapest ended in a 1-1 tie.
The tribute was a joint initiative of the football club, the World Jewish Congress and the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary, Mazsihisz.
Tóth was a Ferencvárosi player and later its head coach before joining the Hungarian anti-fascist resistance following Nazi Germany’s invasion of Hungary. Tóth helped several hundred Hungarians, including many Jews, escape Nazi detention and death before his arrest and execution in February 1945.
Today, @Fradi_HU, in cooperation with the WJC and @Mazsihisz held a tribute to István Tóth. The match, against @MaccabiTLVFC, began with players being escorted out by children wearing shirts in Tóth’s honor.
Learn more about the match and István Tóth here: https://t.co/UYlTIN3IF1 pic.twitter.com/mASq6dMynz— WJC (@WorldJewishCong) July 12, 2018
Children attending the game received T-shirts bearing Toth’s portrait and signature.
World Jewish Congress CEO Robert Singer said: “It is enormously encouraging to see the Hungarian government make use of this central stage of Europa League Football to honor Istvan Toth, who risked his life for the sake of humanity and mutual respect.”
Andras Heisler, President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary (MAZSIHIZS), added: “Our mutual heroes of the past are here with us in our hearts and minds to remind all of us that humanity and respect are the basic values we all share. István Tóth is a football hero and a righteous person, who scored the biggest goal of the 20th century by saving Hungarian Jews in the midst of the greatest inferno of the century.
“Football offers the magic possibility to experience the tension and thrill of a game together with the next generation while educating them about respect, fairness and decency of our colorful world. By remembering István Tóth, we are honoring a celebrated sport figure, who stood up against violence, hatred and discrimination. His life and behavior is an example to follow in all places and times.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
