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Jewish Heritage
Shalom! Hungary and its capital Budapest, home of Central Europe's largest Jewish community welcomes visitors from all over the world.
During the Socialist era, the Jewish faith was suppressed in Hungary and links to Israel were restricted, but since the political changes, the Jewish community has blossomed, particularly in Budapest.
A short history of Hungarian JewsThe first Jewish settlers filtered into the province in the second or third century, many of them as traders from Rome. The founder of the Hungarian state, King Stephen I, adopted Christianity and decreed it a state religion. However, his laws also guaranteed equal rights for all peoples and religions, including Judaism. The first gravestone with a Hebrew inscription was found in Buda and bears the legend Pesach, son of Peter, dated 1278. At this time, there were active Jewish communities in Buda and many other Hungarian towns.
The golden age of medieval Judaism in Hungary came at the peak of Hungarian political and economical development; the Renaissance under the reign of King Matthias. According to a source of the day, Jews were among the wedding procession during the ceremony held for King Matthias and his bride Beatrix in 1476. After the death of the King in 1490, Hungary was increasingly threatened by the approaching Turks, and the position of the Jews became increasingly precarious.
At the time of the Turkish conquest, Hungary's Jews mainly lived in villages and under the protection of higher nobility, only rarely maintaining communities in a few large towns.
After Buda was reclaimed, Jews arriving in Hungary under Habsburg rule generally lived in smaller settlements under the patronage of the landowning nobility. Initially, they were only seen in Buda or Pest for weekly fairs and markets.
At the down of the reform period in the early 19th century, Hungary was the first country in Eastern Europe to offer integration and equality to its Jews, a move to designed to demonstrate the nation's regeneration and modernization. During this time Jews did their best to improve the country's economic situation. In 1839, for instance Mór Farkasházy Fischer founded the Herend porcelain manufactory, the delicate artistry of which would later adorn the table of Britain's Queen Victoria.
Full Jewish emancipation came immediately after the Compromise of 1867 and the creation of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy. The Jewish Congress was created between 1868-69 to plan and oversee a uniform Jewish organization.
The founder of Zionism, which emerged at the turn of the century, was Budapest-born Theodor Herzl.
In the early twentieth century, Hungarian Jews were able to gain a foothold in Hungarian political life in the first time. The traditional Germanic influence, irredentist pressure and the depression of 1929 dragged the country towards fascism. The authorities turned against the Jews as the alliance with Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy combined with slogans of irredentism, made Hungary's involvement in the Second World War inevitable. Even though the economic situation improved in the late 1930s, anti-Jewish laws gradually deprived Hungarian Jews of their rights.
All this was an early sign of the catastrophe awaiting the Jews. On March 19, 1944, Germany invaded Hungary and Hitler's notorious commandos arrived to implement the "final solution" to the "Jewish problem". Every Jew was registered and forced to wear a yellow star. Before long, the deportation of provincial Jews had begun. Of the million Jews living in Hungary at the time, two thirds perished during the Holocaust.
In recent years, there have been spectacular changes in the lives of members of the Hungarian Jewish community. Renovation work has been completed on the Great Synagogue and on other Jewish temples. In addition, numerous Jewish religious communities have been established around Budapest and youth organizations have rapidly grown in influence.
There are 48 synagogues in Hungary today, most of them located in Budapest. The Jewish Museum, the Library, the Rabbinical Seminar and the Pedagogical Institute can also be found in the capital. A rich variety of religious object is on display in the Jewish museum, from the copy of a third century plaque to original relics of the Jewish faith.The most exciting event embracing Jewish culture is The Jewish Summer Festival organized yearly during the month of August. The rich cultural programs of the festival include theater, film, fine arts, photography, jazz, klezmer, youth programs, bazaars and coffeehouse literature evenings.
Must see sites:
The Grand Synagogue and the Jewish Museum (VII. Dohány Street 2-8)
The largest currently functioning synagogue of Europe was finished in 1859, in Neo-Moorish Style. The interior space has a flat ceiling and a capacity for nearly three thousand believers. Originally the synagogue was built among residential houses. One of them was the birthplace of writer and journalist Theodor Herzl, the founder of Zionist movement. The museum is on the left side of the grand synagogue. The exhibition of the museum shows not only the feasts, celebrations and rituals of Jewish people, but the dreads of the holocaust.
Holocaust Memorial Center (IX. Páva Street 39. www.hdke.hu )
The focus of the exhibition is the Holocaust in Hungary. The creative display recounts the suffering, persecution and massacre of those Hungarian nationals - mainly Jews and Gypsy - who were condemned to annihilation in the name of radical ideology. The portraits on the glass pews keep the memory of the destroyed communities, the demolished synagogues and houses of prayer and the murdered individuals. Those foreign diplomats and fellow Hungarian citizens who risked their own lives to save persecuted are also honored there.
Jewish Cemetery (X. Kozma Street 6)
The cemetery was established in 1893, and it bears the signs of architecture at the turn of the century. The tombs of the Schmidl and Wellisch families are also masterpieces of the Art Nouveau style, among many others.
Memorial of Raol Wallenberg (II. Corner of Szilágyi Erzsébet Fasor and Nagyajtai Street)
The monument of Raol Wallenberg, who had saved thousands of Hungarian Jews, was erected in 1987.
Restaurants:
Kadar Restaurant (VII. Klauzál tér 9)
It is a small, traditional restaurant, where strangers sit together at the few tables, which all have soda water in the middle. One of the significant gastronomic relics of the old Pest. Kadar is only open for lunch.
Hanna Restaurant (Dob utca 35)
The Kosher restaurant is an interesting spot in the district. In fact it lies in the yard of the church but its entry opens to another street.
Frolich Confectionery (VII. Dob utca 22)
It offers a complete range of Jewish pastry, including the "flodni". Lately they have been offering magazines to read as well.
Siraly Coffeehouse (VI. Király Street 50)
Siraly is not only a Café, an occasional gallery but also a cultural center and a gathering place for young Jews. Sirály is costumer and bicycle friendly, the kind of place where you can sit around in for as long as your laptop battery will last.
Useful websites:
Jewish Summer Festival
Jewish Tour Budapest
The Jewish Community of Budapest
Jewish Genealogy
First Jewish Heritage tour in Budapest