Free, Public Screening of Documentary "Keep Quiet" about Hungarian Nationalist Politician Who Discovers His Jewish Roots
Fall into Film at FJC with Keep Quiet (Hungary, 2016)
A timely and gripping documentary about the Hungarian nationalist politician who discovers and embraces his Jewish roots
Sunday, November 20 at 1:30 P.M. / Doors open at 1:00 P.M.
Free and Open to the public / Free refreshments
Csanad Szegedi was the embodiment of the post-Soviet Hungarian right. Passionate in his anti-Semitic beliefs and Holocaust denials, the young man rose through the ranks to lead Hungary’s far right conservative Jobbik Party. At the peak of his political career, Szegedi learned that his family has kept a dark secret for decades: his maternal grandparents were in fact Jewish. After the initial shock, Szegedi enlisted the help of an empathetic Orthodox Budapest rabbi who, to the horror of some of his peers, helps to guide him through what seems to be a 180 degree turn around. Through interviews with his grandmother, studies with the rabbi and exposure to Judaism (the Orthodox variety), and even a trip to Auschwitz with Holocaust survivors, Csanad Szegedi is forced to confront his wrong doings and appears to make the journey from notorious anti-Semite to Orthodox Jew. Most recently, just before the Jewish High Holy Days last month, Szegedi announced his intention to make aliya (move to Israel) with his family.
What to make of all this?! What effect did Szegedi’s transformation have on the Hungary’s politics and politicians? Filmmakers Sam Blair and Joseph Martin have provided a fascinating and probing window onto Szegedi and his personal journey. The film leaves you questioning and absorbing both his personal journey and the attraction of extreme ideologies.
In Hungarian with English subtitles.