One of Hungary’s most prestigious awards was granted to Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Baruch Oberlander.

President of Hungary, Mr. Janos Ader bestowed the "Order of the Merit of the Hungarian Republic” award at a grand ceremony on Hungary’s Independence Day. Rabbi Oberlander, who oversees all of Chabad’s Jewish activities in Hungary, received the medal in recognition of his service for more than two decades, and his role in leading the revival of Hungarian Judaism.

Rabbi Baruch and his wife Batsheva arrived in Hungary in 1989 and have since built a remarkable Jewish infrastructure in a country whose Jewish population was decimated during the Holocaust.

Jewish community leaders and local Jews responded to the award with gratitude, expressing tremendous support for Rabbi Oberlander and his Chabad and rabbinical colleagues.

Rabbi Oberlander noted that all the work achieved for the benefit of Jewish life in Hungary is in fulfillment of the vision of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of blessed memory.

Chabad of Hungary continues to grow its educational, social and religious programs benefitting the country’s estimated 100,000 Jews. In recent weeks additional rabbis and educators joined Chabad’s human resources in Budapenst, among them Rabbis Yehoshua Fuchs and Shmuel Oirechman.