Eastern Hungary - following the footsteps of famous Hassidic Rabbis, Tzadikim of Hungary

Jews have lived in the Eastern region of the country from the beginning of the 18th century. Jews once played an important role in the production and transport of kosher wine. Tokaj and the neighboring villages are one of Europes most famous wine-producing areas and Jews were, for many centuries, very active in viticulture. Before the Holocaust, the Jewish communities, for instance, Mad, Tokaj, Bodrogkeresztur, Nagykallo and Satoraljaujhely maintained a rich spiritual life. From its earliest days, these communities leaned toward Hassidism. Indeed, much of the wine produced in the region was shipped north and east to Hassidic courts in Greater Poland. 
The full-day tour leaves in the morning from Budapest, featuring the following programme:

Stop in Miskolc, the second biggest Hungarian city and a local Jewish center in Eastern Hungary. Visit the functioning 19th synagogue (designed by Ludwig Förster, the achitect of the Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest) and take a walk in the beautifully restored old town.

Continue to Mad to see one of the finest surviving examples of Baroque synagogue architecture in Hungary. The Mad synagogue (built in 1795) is one of only four surviving synagogues of the period. Mad is exceptional because not only is the synagogue intact with all of its rich decoration, but the attached structure which once housed a yeshiva and the rabbis residence is also intact.  The entire complex is dramatically sited, overlooking much of the town and the surrounding vineyards.

Stop in Tokaj, the capital of the most famous Hungarian wine region and former center of a prosperous Jewish community that lived in the area before the Holocaust. Visit the synagogue of Tokaj built in the late 19th century, the biggest and most impressive one in the region. Explore old wine cellars and taste some of the excellent kosher wines.

Continue to Satoraljaujhely, the town of Reb Ismach Moshe Teitelbaum who founded the Hassidic movement in Hungary in the early 19th century. Under the leadership of Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum, a Hassidic center emerged in Satoraljaujhely, where he was the rabbi from 1808. He was famous for his knowledge as well as for his yeshiva. Many people pilgrimaged from great distances to see him. His son and descendents were Hassidic rabbis in Maramarossziget (Sighetu - Romania), and after his death his grandson became the rabbi of Satoraljaujhely. Visit the tomb of Reb Ismah Moshe in the old cemetery.

Eastern Hungary and Transylvania (Sighetu, Satmar - Romania)

The two-day tour includes the above programme in Eastern Hungary (Miskolc, Mad, Tokaj and Satoraljaujhely) on the first day and continues on the second day as follows:
On the way to the Hungarian-Romanian border stop in Nagykallo, a former stronghold of Hungarian Hassidism in the 18th century. Visit the tomb of Reb Jichak Eizik Taub, the first Hungarian tzaddik who was a legendary figure of Hungarian Hassidism. From 1781 he was the rabbi in Nagykallo. His grave is still an important place of pilgrimage.

Continue in Romania and stop in Carei to see the remnants of the biggest synagogue in the area. Visit Sighetu Marmatiei, the native town of Elie Wiesel, a Jewish-American author and Nobel Prize laureate. Explore the synagogue, the Jewish cemetery with several tombs of outstanding Hassidic rabbis from the Satmar community and the Elie Wiesel Museum as well.

Continue to Satu Mare and take a walk in the downtown including a visit to the Orthodox synagogue. Back to Budapest, arrival at night.

See the other programmes