Hungary and Ukraine are jointly renovating the Great Synagogue in Beregszász – Neokohn
Levente Magyar, the parliamentary secretary of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, announced on Friday that Hungary and Ukraine would jointly renovate the former large synagogue in Beregszász, one of the city’s main squares.
Announcing the start of the action on the spot, Levente Magyar underlined that the historic moment had arrived, that the concrete sarcophagus had been demolished, in which the XIX. an imposing large synagogue was built at the end of the 19th century when it was converted into a house of culture.
He called the implementation of the project a particularly important step in the process of “we, the peoples living in a community of destiny in Central and Eastern Europe – Hungarians, Ukrainians, Jews and others – trying every day to recover something from what the XX. century deprived us of our identity and culture ”.
The greatest loss was to Judaism, as they “fell victim to the barbarism of the Dark Ages,” he put it, “therefore, our most basic duty is to honor the physical remnants of their memory”.
The most significant cultural investment in Transcarpathia will start in 2019 with the stabilization of the accident-prone vault of the theater and research into building history. The construction works will start in 2023 on the initiative of the Hungarian Cultural Association of Transcarpathia (KMKSZ) and the Beregszász City Council with the support of the Hungarian government and the Transcarpathian County Administrative Office. The cultural community space, formed by the renovated synagogue and its associated organically connected new wing, is scheduled to open by the end of 2024.
Speaking about the current security situation in Ukraine, Levente Magyar stated that “the world’s leading powers are once again treating our region as a political playground”. As he put it, even with today’s event, “we are sending a message to the great powers: if we have to, it is an unfinished XX. to resolve their conflicts elsewhere in a different way and to allow us to build peacefully ”.
“Let us show the world that power lies in creation and not in destruction, in unity and in separation, in generosity towards each other, not in short-sighted narrowness,” the parliamentary secretary concluded.
In his response, Viktor Mikita, the governor of Transcarpathia, thanked him for the extremely important support that Hungary is providing to Ukraine in the current difficult period. The new cultural center will increase the tourist attraction of the area, therefore the county leadership appreciates the help of the partner from the Hungarian side and supports the continuous dialogue.
Levente Magyar met with the presidency of the KMKSZ in Beregszász, then visited Munkács, where he visited the Mihály Munkácsy Hungarian House, established in June 2021 with government support. He said in a press conference that Hungary is only interested in preserving peace, “as construction and restoration of historical values and the memory of destroyed communities through the renovation of the synagogue can only take place in a peaceful environment”.
Levente Magyar also announced that Hungary will provide the three million euro funds needed to complete the first Transcarpathian waste treatment plant on the border of the village of Makkosjánosi in the Beregszász district.