The Gothár Scandal creates an Explosion of Antisemitism in Hungary

Peter Gothár is/was director of the Katona Theater in Budapest and a drama teacher. A year ago he was fired from his job because sexual harassment of an actress. A year later, now, the affair became public, and the Government decided to defund the theater. 

What is the point of punishing the theater? Their aim is to frighten the intellectual-artistic world. The sex-maniac instead of hiding in shame stepped forward and made full confession:  “A year ago, I approached a female co-worker of mine in the theatre in a morally inexcusable way. A few days later, I apologized and was forgiven.” The University of Theatre and Film Arts, where Gothár is a professor, stated that Gothár himself requested an ethical examination. 

Apparently he kissed an actress, no physical violence took place, but for some reason, months later, the actress denounced with the theater management. (The most dangerous thing for a man is to kiss a woman and let her go unfulfilled. She will ruminate the episode and take revenge.) The extraordinary thing is the Orban Government reaction of defunding the theater, and the media reaction of vicious anti-Semitic comments. Like many in the Budapest artistic milieu, Gothar is one of Budapest's hidden Jews, born a Christian whose only connection to the Jewish people is a vague knowledge that his parents (or one of them) had been persecuted by the Nazis. Jews are hated so much in Hungary that the Government digs up people's grandparents identities and if they discover "Jewish blood", it will not allow them to forget and hide their unwanted origin. Why is Mr Gothár and others like him still in Europe?