Budapest and the Great Synagogue.

Budapest is just as beautiful as when we left Hungary almost 3 years ago. How wonderfully familiar it is to us. We are in another country that is so different from home but feels so comfortable. The language again is not one we speak but instead of sounding strange it sounds familiar. It's so good to be able to come back and visit. ♥️🇭🇺💚

The two highlights of today's sightseeing were the Dohány Street Synagogue (also known as The Great Synagogue) and the Danube Night Cruise. So first the synagogue.

We weren't able to go into the largest synagogue in Europe (and 2nd largest in the world) when we lived in Hungary as it was Covid time so had merely walked by the perimeter of the complex there. As we arrived we were told there would be a tour in 15 minutes. The guide told us some fascinating facts. It was built at a time when the Budapest Jews were trying to less conservative and assimilate more into the community. So this synagogue was built to look more like a Hungarian church. No other synagogue is like it at all. The architects were given a list of instructions but much was ignored and the interior was built to resemble a Catholic church. The two pulpits for example weren't meant to be added. Our guide said they sometimes get used by camera operators if a concert is on!! Synagogues don't have organs. The story there is hilarious but too long to add here!

Of course much of the Hungarian Jewish story is tragic. The Budapest ghetto was right beside the synagogue. There's mass graves of 2281 people who died in the ghetto from starvation, sickness or murder - many of whom are unidentified. Behind the buildings is a holocaust tribute. We had seen that through the fence previously but not up close. It is known by many names including The Tree of Life, The Holocaust Memorial Tree, The Emanuel Tree, and The Memorial of the Hungarian Jewish Martyrs. The sculpture was created by Imre Varga in 1991. The memorial was sponsored by the Emanuel Foundation of New York for an estimated $2 million. The foundation was created in 1987 by Tony Curtis in honor of his father, Emanuel Schwartz, who emigrated to New York from Mátészalka. The sculpture commemorates the at least 400,000 Hungarian Jews murdered by the Nazis and their Hungarian collaborators during World War II. The sculpture takes the form of a silver-colored metal weeping willow tree symbolic of mourning. The tree has thousands of small metallic leaves, some of which are engraved with the names of victims of the Holocaust that were once housed in the Budapest Ghetto.

Some suggest that the weeping willow tree form also represents an upturned menorah. In front of the tree stands a tall, black pillar with two spaces that form the image of the Tablets of the Covenant. It’s believed the pebbles placed around the base of the sculpture are left in memory of those who lost their lives.

After the tour we checked out the other areas in the complex, including a museum and a photographic exhibition on the Budapest Ghetto 1944-1945.

Whilst not at this location I was reminded of when we previously saw the 'Shoes by the Danube'. They are made of iron and set into the concrete of the embankment. They are a memorial and a monument to the Hungarian Jews who, in the winter of 1944-1945, were shot on the banks of the Danube River by the members of the Arrow Cross Party. Such a tragic history. The House of Terror museum which we also saw wh en we lived here is another testament of man's inhumanity to man. ... And yet ward and atrocities continue in the world today. 😢Baca lagi