"We have set ourselves the aim of having the Jews of Hungary recognised alongside the country's other national minorities," says a declaration signed by four individuals that has been submitted to the Electoral Commission (OVB). They chose the OVB because the 1993 law on national and ethnic minorities says that if another group wishes to join the ranks of the 13 other recognised national minorities, the OVB has to give consent to the collecting of a thousand signatures. In this case, the OVB gave the go-ahead.

Curiously, the petitioning process was incorporated into the 1993 precisely because of the Jews. Some Jewish public figures have been trying to have the Jews of Hungary recognised as a nation since the end of the 1980s. Even the one party state raised the possibility in 1989, when a 'Nationalities College' was established under Imre Pozsgay's leadership. Jewish representatives were co-opted into this body. They came from three organisations: Gusztáv Zoltai of the National Representation of Hungarian Jews (MIOK), the journalist Tamás Zalai of the Hungarian Jewish Cultural Association and György Landeszmann from the National Rabbi Training Institute.

The body came up with a law that came into force in 1990. It listed eight nationalities, amongst them the Jews. But it was rescinded later that year by the first freely elected parliament. Work immediately started on its successor, which was to become the 1993 law. But during drafting, the then Israeli ambassador, David Kraus, managed to gather the support of the Jewish community in Hungary to prevent the establishment of a recognised Jewish nationality.

"There are an estimated 100,000 Jews living in Hungary today, only 12,000 of whom regard themselves as religiously Jewish, according to the most recent census," said Gábor Deák, one of the people behind the latest petition. He has been working since the end of the 80s to have the Jews recognised as a minority nationality. He added that he was an atheist, but he had told the census officer that he was a believer to strengthen the Jewish community.  He argues that even the non-religious should discover their Jewish identities - and a recognised Jewish national minority would be the best way to achieve this.