"The project has received wide media attention in Hungary, with plaque dedication ceremonies in the presence of Hungarian politicians whom, Herczeg said, have eloquently borne witness to what Hungary lost with the murder of her Jews.The Kecskemet synagogue was the first to receive a plaque, and then plaques were affixed to former synagogues in Buda, Kisvarda, Szolnok, Gyongos, Mateszalka, Szolnoki, Szekscard and Budapest. Ten more synagogues have been designated to receive future plaques when funding is available.
Until now, Herczeg, a 76-year-old retired retailer, preferred to remain quiet about his instrumental role in the project, to the point of requesting that his name not be put on the plaques, although it ultimately was.
The buildings’ status as previous places of Jewish worship would almost certainly have continued to be unrecognized had it not been for Herczeg.
The Hungarian government had already invested substantially in the construction of the Budapest Holocaust Memorial Centre, opened in 2004, and Herczeg did not feel comfortable making personal solicitations for money, so he ultimately opted to pick up the costs of the plaques himself."
Source: cjnews
17.03.2006