The 2nd largest synagogue in the world

The Great Synagogue of Budapest is the second-largest in the world, after the one in New York, which was actually built having as a model Budapest’s synagogue.

It serves as the place of worship for the city's Reform Jews (the more modern and progressive branch of Judaism). Partially destroyed in 1939 by Hungary’s Nazi party, it was later seized and turned into the headquarters of the Nazi military radio.

Inside, some of the Jews who were murdered are buried—an exceptional case, as Jewish tradition typically forbids burials within synagogues.

Behind the synagogue stands a memorial in the shape of a weeping willow, commemorating the 400,000 Jews who were killed and the Righteous Among the Nations who saved thousands—among them several Italians and the famous Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz.

In one of the nearby fences, there is a very small statue depicting a man with a beard and a bicycle: this is Theodor Herzl, the Hungarian-Jewish founder of the Zionist movement.Read more