Two major Jewish cultural events opened this week in Budapest: "Synagogue Week" and the "International Hungarian Cholent Market," both designed to connect Hungary's 100,000 Jews with synagogues and Jewish tradition.
The cholent market, now in its tenth year, has become one of Hungary's largest Jewish cultural events. Free and open to the public, it features strictly kosher food stalls showcasing Jewish culture, tradition and cuisine.
Both events are organized by EMIH (the Alliance of Hungarian Jewish Communities) and attract tens of thousands of local residents each year, including non-Jews curious about Jewish culture. Attendance has grown steadily year after year.
This year, amid dramatic political changes in Hungary following the ousting of longtime Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who had blocked pro-Palestinian demonstrations in city streets, a well-known local musician named Gergely Komáromi announced a protest scheduled to coincide with the events' opening. Titled "Together for Justice - From Palestine to Budapest," the demonstration sparked immediate outrage.
Jewish community leaders said there's a significant difference between a regular protest and one held within a community event in the heart of the Jewish quarter. "This is a dangerous, malicious and ugly provocation designed to hurt the feelings of the Jewish community while Hungarian Jews gather to celebrate together," they stated.
The controversy intensified because the same anti-Israel organization had held a demonstration in Budapest the previous week demanding the release of Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. Protesters described him as a persecuted medical professional, but Israeli Ambassador to Hungary Maya Kadosh clarified that he is not a doctor but a lieutenant colonel in the Hamas terror organization, and that Kamal Adwan Hospital served as a hub for terrorist activity.
That rally drew sharp responses from Hungarian politicians. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony publicly opposed the protest and the portrayal of Abu Safiya as a figure worthy of public solidarity. The organizers countered by accusing the mayor of adopting the Israeli narrative, attacking him explicitly and claiming Israeli public officials were spreading "false propaganda."
Rabbi Shlomo Köves, Chief Rabbi of Hungary, responded: "When an anti-Israel protest deliberately comes into the physical space of a local Jewish event, a dangerous red line is crossed. The initial choice to hold such a demonstration specifically at the location and time of one of the city's largest public Jewish events raises concern about crossing the boundary between political protest — even if false and illegitimate — and directing confrontation toward local Jews. This is particularly worrying given the experience of Western European countries in recent years, where anti-Israel demonstrations have become synonymous with hostile harassment against local Jews."
After the public outcry, the protest route, initially approved to pass by the events' opening, was relocated to prevent antisemitic harassment of Hungarian Jews. EMIH praised authorities for understanding the sensitivity and moving the march.
According to Rabbi Köves, "The response to these events is not to hide Jewish life or retreat from the public sphere, but exactly the opposite: The Jewish community in Hungary is an integral part of the country's fabric. Jews have every right to conduct their culture, religion and community life openly, safely and proudly, without becoming a target for antisemitic and anti-Israel protests.
The message of the market and synagogue week remains what it was from the start: Jewish culture belongs in Budapest's public space. The Jewish community will not give up its right to live openly Jewish lives, in Budapest and throughout Hungary. Thank G-d, Hungary continues to be safe for Jews and Israelis. The pro-Palestinian protests are currently mainly the provocation of one individual, but we must always keep our finger on the pulse; they constantly test whether the atmosphere of tolerance toward Jews and the firm hand against antisemitism remain in force."
The cholent market also launched "Synagogue Week," spanning two weeks centered on the Days of Mercy and Forgiveness currently observed in the Jewish world.
During this period, several synagogues in Budapest's Jewish quarter open their doors to numerous visitors. Two new synagogues will be inaugurated in the Hungarian capital in the coming days. One is the first of its kind in the world — designed for and managed by young people. "The synagogue's gabbai will be under 18, as will the 'community president' and other officials," EMIH explains. "The goal is to let young people manage their own community themselves, in a youthful spirit, rather than having 'adults' run it for them. This is meant to make young Hungarians see the Jewish community as their home, especially after some avoid entering regular synagogues because they don't find their place among older worshippers. The synagogue belongs to the developing international Jewish movement C-teen, and its rabbi will be the only 'adult' - Rabbi Tzvi Basman, in his early 30s.
According to him, "As far as we know, this is the first pilot of its kind in the world, and I'm confident that after Hungary it will sweep many communities worldwide and also in Israel."
