Gábor Székely, former Deputy Mayor of Budapest, dies at 79

Gábor Székely, a prominent figure in Hungarian Jewish community life and former Deputy Mayor of Budapest, has passed away at the age of 79.

Following the regime change, Székely served as the Deputy Mayor of Budapest and remained active in the capital's public life until 2010. His professional career also included leading Szerencsejáték Zrt.

Székely was deeply involved in Jewish civil and cultural organizations. He served as the chairman of the boards for both the Holocaust Memorial Foundation and the Lauder Foundation, and was the president of the Hungarian Jewish Cultural Association. In his final months, he served as the president of the reviving Eger Jewish Community, helping to reorganize the local congregation where he had grown up.

Raised in the post-war Jewish community of Eger, Székely maintained a strong connection to his Orthodox roots and traditions throughout his life, even as he engaged in secular and high-level political roles.