Jewish Visitors' Service

This beautiful city is considered the most sophisticated of Central European capitals. Here you will find the third largest community of approximately 100 000 Jews in Europe. Jewish history dates back to Roman times, and Jews have always played an outstanding role in the city's economic, political and cultural life. Today, Budapest has many fine synagogues, kosher restaurants and Jewish schools. The unique Dohany Street Synagogue, the most impressive and biggest in Europe, stands next to the moving Holocaust Memorial, dedicated to over 600,000 Jews who perished during the Nazi reign of terror. The Jewish Museum has a wealth of artifacts and documents relating to Jewish history in Hungary.

Budapest is definitely one more pearl strung on the Danube necklace, a vibrant metropolis offering warm hospitality and an abundance of Jewish interest.

This is not just a slogan for us. Since we all come from local Jewish families and grew up during Communism, we can give you much more than pure facts learnt in history books. We can bring you closer to Jewish history, culture and religion through a more personal approach.

This tour includes a walk in the old Jewish Quarter, interior visit of the Dohany Street Synagogue (Europe's biggest), the Jewish Museum, the Kazinczy Street Orthodox Sy and the Rumbach Street Sy, and also see the Holocaust Memorial.
After it we drive to the "Shoes Memorial" on the River Bank. This is the memorial place from where the Nazi Hungarians shot the Jews into the Danube River in winter of 1944-45. Then continue to the "Glass-house". This is a remarkable place that, on the one hand, served as a shelter and hiding place for about 3,000 Jews saved by Carl Lutz, the Consul of Switzerland in late 1944 and, one the other hand, was also the center of the underground Zionist organization in Hungary.

For all those who would like to see besides the highlights, the hidden Jewish treasures, as well.

This tour goes through the Jewish sights of Budapest in chronological order.

We start our tour in the Castle District where the first Jews of Buda settled in the 13th century.

We visit the small, medieval synagogue in the former Jewish street, learn about the Jewish life during the Turkish occupation in the 16th -17th centuries and get to know how does it possible that in the 21^st century there are two Synagogues from the Medieval time still unexcavated. Unbelievable, but true, they are underground of the Castle District. (Evidences and background stories)

Then we continue to Old Buda. In the 18th century German and Czech Jewish settlers established homes there.

Under the patronage of the noble Zichy family the Jewish colony of Old Buda developed into a prominent community.

Interior visit in the recently (Sept, 2010 re-opened) Old Buda Synagogue. It was built in 1820-21 in Classicist style, for long decades were used by TV studio. Today this Synagogue belongs to the World known Chabad – Lubavitch Movement.

We still stay in Buda and visit the Frankel Synagogue, which was built in 1888 in neo-gothic style. Here you can hear about one of the most vibrant Jewish Community in Budapest. (Day by day program, Friday evening almost 100 people attend in the Service.)

Before we cross the River Danube and get to Pest, there is an opportunity to visit the oldest, still existing Jewish Cemetery. It is in the middle of Buda, between modern houses and office building. It is very sad and the same time very picturesque, in certain way similar to the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague. Here we can find the grave site of Rabbi Koppel Reich; he was one of the greatest Orthodox Rabbis of the 19^th-20^th century. Hungary- still lots of pilgrimage get to him.

In the Pest side our tour includes a walk in the old Jewish Quarter, interior visit of the Dohany Street Synagogue (Europe's biggest), the Jewish Museum, the Kazinczy Street Orthodox Sy and the Rumbach Street Sy, and also see the Holocaust Memorial.

After it drive to the "Shoes Memorial" on the River Bank. This is the memorial place from where the Nazi Hungarians shot the Jews into the Danube River in winter of 1944-45. Then continue to the "Glass-house". This is a remarkable place that, on the one hand, served as a shelter and hiding place for about 3,000 Jews saved by Carl Lutz, the Consul of Switzerland in late 1944 and, one the other hand, was also the center of the underground Zionist organization in Hungary.

During our way will see other Memorials, Monuments, such as Raoul Wallenberg Memorial, Steho Gabor Memorial, and of course see the evidences of our recent Jewish life.

If you have already been to Budapest, just contact us to customize a tour especially for you.

I am almost sure; I will be able to show you hidden sights, you had never seen before.

This tour goes through the Jewish sights of Budapest in chronological order.

During our way will see other Memorials, Monuments, such as Raoul Wallenberg Memorial, Steho Gabor Memorial, and of course see the evidences of our recent Jewish life.

See the other programmes