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Historic Budapest Synagogue Restored to Active Use After a Century
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Rededication Ceremony
The Rákospalota district synagogue in Budapest was reopened and rededicated in a ceremony that featured prayers, the ceremonial entry of a Torah scroll, and the unveiling of memorial plaques honoring the building’s founders. Rabbis, public figures, donors and descendants of the original community attended. Rabbi Shlomo Köves, representing the Association of Torah-Observant Communities in Hungary (EMIH), highlighted the building’s transformation from a sealed book-storage facility back to a house of worship, noting that a passerby had wept upon seeing the neglected structure a year earlier.
Historical Context
Constructed and dedicated in 1926 through the efforts of Rabbi Michael (Mihály) Dushinsky, the synagogue served a vibrant community of nearly 8,000 Jews before the Holocaust, when most were deported and only about ten percent survived. Under communist rule the edifice was stripped of its religious function and repurposed as a warehouse for newspapers and books belonging to the Hungarian National Library (Széchényi). The recent restoration, completed in less than a year after negotiations to relocate the library, marks the sixth historic synagogue revived by the Budapest Jewish community in the past 16 years.
Key Participants
The project was financed largely by philanthropist Igor Tulchinsky. Rabbi Michael Dushinsky, the 80-year-old grandson of the original founder and former Chief Rabbi of Northern Ireland, attended and reflected on the emotional weight of the event, recalling his first visit to the building 23 years ago when it was still filled with bookcases and desks. Rabbi Baruch Oberlander, head of the ultra-Orthodox Rabbinical Court (Av Beit Din) in Hungary, addressed the gathering, stressing that the synagogue is intended to function as a living center for prayer, Torah study and youth education rather than a museum.
Community Implications
Organizers and leaders described the rededication as a testament to the resilience of Hungarian Jewry, emphasizing that the synagogue will serve current and future generations. The event was also framed as evidence that Hungary presently offers a safe environment for Jews, contrasting the situation in other parts of Europe. The restored synagogue joins a broader effort to revive historic religious sites and reinforce communal identity across the country.