Above a certain age, perhaps every Jewish person in Hungary has heard of Mrs Géza Seifert, whose husband, Géza Seifert, served as the president of MIOK (National Representation of Hungarian Israelites) between 1966 and 1976. The following presents the life story of Mrs Géza Seifert and her relationship to power, based on her testimony given to the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation and archival sources.[1]
Mrs Géza Seifert, née Ilona Riemer, was born in 1921 into a wealthy family and worked as a kindergarten teacher at the congregation-run preschool. Ilona survived the Holocaust in Budapest, while her husband escaped from forced labour service. They were married on 7 September 1947. A significant portion of her life history interview—perhaps understandably—focused on her husband. In 1966 her husband replaced Endre Sós as president of MIOK and the Budapest Israelite Congregation (BIH), a position he held until his death ten years later.
Afterwards, Mrs Seifert was asked by the state to work in the Jewish community, which surprised her, as she claimed she had ‘never’ worked before. According to her, the State Office for Church Affairs (ÁEH) requested that she establish a ‘foreign relations office’ within MIOK, and this was her responsibility until a new president was appointed—a process that took eight months, ultimately resulting in the appointment of Imre Héber. Mrs Seifert officially became the secretary general, but she said she first consulted with the Orthodox community, from whom she received the response that nowhere is it written that a woman cannot serve as a community secretary general. In the interview, Mrs Seifert repeatedly emphasized that she ‘strictly observed Jewish teachings’ and, following in her husband’s path—essentially following the ‘guidance’ she received ‘from above’—she carried out her work ‘with the Shema Yisrael in my heart’.
According to her, her work involved ‘many critical situations’, but she was guided by a single feeling: ‘to be sincere’, because ‘it is important to preserve one’s honour, so that when one looks in the mirror, one doesn’t feel the need to spit at oneself. I was not someone who compromised,’ she insisted. One of the main points of contention with the state was the perception of Israel, especially during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and the Lebanon War in 1982. According to Mrs Seifert, she did not believe the horror stories being spread about Israel, because ‘a Jewish person does not fall for such things as were written in our newspapers here.’
She mentioned an essential point of contention when the ÁEH wanted to see an article in the Jewish journal Új Élet about an alleged incident in which Israeli soldiers had ‘killed babies’ on the ‘Golan’. She said she rejected the request, arguing that Új Élet was a cultural magazine and did not publish articles about terrorism. As she explained in the interview, in any case, ‘Israeli soldiers don’t kill babies, especially not without reason—and they don’t kill women either.’ This likely referred to the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, which was in fact carried out not by Israeli forces but by Christian Arab Phalangists in Lebanon. However, it is true that the IDF, which was stationed nearby, did not intervene. Following the events, the Israeli Kahan Commission found that Israel bore indirect responsibility. ‘You mustn’t lie—once you do, you’re finished. I never have, and that’s why I’m respected. That’s what I told him at the time,’ she reportedly said to State Secretary Miklós Imre, the head of the ÁEH.
‘I never have [lied], and that’s why I’m respected’
So much for the personal narrative. But what do the archival documents reveal? Mrs Géza Seifert was identical to the secret service agent codenamed ‘Hédy’ of Department III/I (foreign intelligence) of the Interior Ministry (BM), who was primarily used in operations targeting Zionist activity. Although her so-called ‘6-card’, ie, the agent’s data sheet, has not survived, the identification can still be confirmed. While a female codename does not necessarily indicate a female agent, one undated report by Subdivision III/I-4—written after the death of Géza Seifert—clearly describes that in the case of ‘Hédy’, ‘the increasing activism of the agent within the MIOK leadership, both domestically and internationally, is causing certain anomalies. In the denomination, there is a 5,000-year tradition that women cannot hold leadership roles. Yet she often tries to emphasize her own importance, even overshadowing the president. For example, during a conversation, someone asks the president a question, and before he could open his mouth, she’s already answering it.’[2]
So ‘Hédy’ was a woman in MIOK’s top leadership during the Héber era. While this alone does not conclusively settle the matter, a separate document from May 1979 states that the World Jewish Congress held its annual assembly in Copenhagen that year, and among the Hungarian delegation was the agent codenamed ‘Hédy’. Fortunately, Új Élet from that period and the ÁEH archives allow us to identify the Hungarian participants at the Copenhagen congress: Imre Héber, Rabbi László Salgó, and Mrs Géza Seifert. From this point, the identification is not particularly complicated, as only one of the three was a woman.[3]
What tasks was ‘Hédy’ assigned during negotiations with international Jewish organizations? According to a February 1979 document, the instructions for domestic meetings were relatively straightforward: ‘Between the 14th and 20th of this month, the leaders of the JOINT will hold official talks in our country with the leadership of MIOK. During these negotiations, our agent codenamed “Hédy” will play a significant role. The agent’s task is to provide up-to-date reports on the course of the talks and to enforce operational and religious policy objectives.’ At the time, the case was handled by Secret Police Major Ferenc Bándi, with the tasks jointly defined by Subdivision III/III-1-c (dealing with the fight against ‘domestic reactionaries’) and Division III/I-11 (intelligence). In other words, ‘Hédy’ received assignments simultaneously from both the domestic counterintelligence and foreign intelligence branches of the Interior Ministry.[4]
The same is indicated by an undated document in which Subdivision III/III-1-c and Division III/I-4 jointly defined the tasks arising from the employment of the agent codenamed ‘Hédy’ for the implementation of operational objectives related to MIOK. Her duties, itemized, were as follows:
- Report on foreign guests, especially members of the World Union of Hungarian Jews.
- Report on internal problems within MIOK, particularly conflicts between rabbis and lay leaders.
- Report on MIOK’s financial matters.
- Report on the Budapest Rabbinical Seminary, especially problems involving students, any questionable behaviour, and foreign students studying there.
- A special point concerned Sándor Scheiber: ‘Hédy’ had to report on the prominent neológ rabbi’s ‘political profile and its development’, ‘his relationships with certain MIOK leaders’, ‘his foreign contacts’, as well as ‘foreigners attending his Friday evening events’, and their opinions and ‘profiles’.
Her task was also to maintain a friendly relationship with Scheiber in daily work, but to make clear to him that ‘national matters fall under the jurisdiction of the presidency and are of no concern to him.’ Furthermore, ‘Hédy’ was responsible for supporting ‘those within the MIOK leadership who clearly stand by our church policy and actively support it’, such as president Imre Héber.[5]
‘The agent’s task is to provide up-to-date reports on the course of the talks and to enforce operational and religious policy objectives’
Much more intriguing details can be found in the documents that defined the tasks of ‘Hédy’ at various World Jewish Congress (WJC) conferences. According to a report dated 25 September 1978, for example, the intelligence service obtained several important agent reports and original documents from the meeting of the European Section of the WJC held in Brussels from 16 to 18 of that month. ‘The above reports and two copies of the acquired documents were also sent to Department 6, which forwarded or will forward them to the officials of the Soviet State Security Service.’ The report made it clear that these documents, including ‘the resolutions of the WJC’, were obtained by their agent codenamed ‘Hédy’, who ‘participated in the session as a member of the official Hungarian delegation in an observer capacity.’ The report expressed satisfaction with the network’s work: ‘The quick and successful execution of our operation related to the Brussels meeting was primarily the result of the agent’s disciplined and precise work.’ ‘Hédy fully completed’ the task assigned to her.[6]
According to the above, ‘Hédy’s’ task was to obtain original documents from conferences of international Jewish organizations and then hand them over to the Hungarian authorities, who immediately forwarded copies to the KGB. The assignments were likely defined from the outset by the KGB. In the same dossier—although ‘Hédy’ is not explicitly mentioned here—there is correspondence with the Soviet secret service indicating that, ‘with reference to the memorandum issued by the Soviet State Security Services on 15 June 1976, we inform you that we have the opportunity to send two reliable network agents to the Zionist World Congress…Please send your intelligence requirements regarding the congress as a matter of priority, so that we may take them into account when preparing our agents.’[7]
‘Hédy’ similarly performed well at the WJC annual meeting in Copenhagen on 28 May 1979. A summary report issued by the BM III/I-11 department reveals that this time, her task was not only to obtain documents but also to influence one of the conference committees: her mission was to ensure that the accusation of ‘Soviet Antisemitism’ would neither be raised nor result in any resolution. ‘As a result of our operation, all documents from the 14 May session were in our possession by 15 May. Copies of the original documents were sent to our friends at the Soviet State Security Services on 17 May. After “Hédy’s” return to Budapest, she prepared a 30-page typed report on the key events of the session. It was due to “Hédy’s” determined intervention that the planned anti-Soviet attack was averted and the topic of “Soviet Antisemitism” was removed from the agenda.’ The acquired documents covered topics such as aid to the Iranian Jewish community, Palestinian terrorism, and the fight against Western neo-Nazi movements—all valuable intelligence for the KGB.[8]
It is not known whether ‘Hédy’ was ever formally excluded from the network, but it is a fact that her name no longer appears on a 1987 list of intelligence agents. The final straw was likely the conflict between Mrs Seifert and the State Office for Church Affairs (ÁEH) over the Sabra and Shatila massacre. The episode mentioned in her oral history interview appears to be accurate when cross-checked with primary sources, and the ÁEH indeed reacted angrily to their request being denied. According to a summary from December 1982, ‘the MIOK presidency has now visibly split into two camps: Héber–Mrs Seifert and Bárdi–Bakos (Lajos). Chief Rabbi Dr Salgó, as head of the Hungarian rabbinate, supports the Bárdi camp.’ The political disagreement is summarized as follows: ‘Vice presidents Bárdi and Bakos, along with Chief Rabbi Salgó, believe that MIOK should have issued a public statement regarding the Beirut massacres.’ Soon after this summary, the judgment was rendered: ‘Comrade Miklós will hold a meeting with Mrs Seifert concerning her resignation from the post of secretary general. Outwardly citing health reasons, Mrs Seifert will, from now on, focus only on foreign affairs responsibilities in her capacity as department head.’[9]
Mrs Seifert officially remained active in MIOK until 30 June 1990. She passed away on 23 June 23 2006. She was buried beside her husband in the Kozma Street Jewish Cemetery. Whether, in light of all this, she truly managed—as she claimed in her oral history interview—‘to strictly observe Jewish teachings’ is something only posterity can judge.
[1] USC Shoah Foundation 50450.
[2] Állambiztonsági Szolgálatok Történeti Levéltára (ÁBSZTL), 3.1.5. O-17169/5. 190–192.
[3] ÁBSZTL, 3.2.5. O-8-504/6. 211.
[4] ÁBSZTL, 3.2.5. O-8-504/6. 204.
[5] ÁBSZTL, 3.1.5. O-17169/5. 190–192.
[6] ÁBSZTL, 3.2.5. O-8-504/6. 205–209.
[7] ÁBSZTL, 3.2.5. O-8-504/6. 76.
[8] ÁBSZTL, 3.2.5. O-8-504/6. 211–213.
[9] Magyar Nemzeti Levéltár Országos Levéltára, XIX-A-21-d. 0020/1-7/1982. (Box no. 122).
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Author: László Bernát Veszprémy
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