It's been a long time since I spent a full weekend in Budapest. I love being able to travel throughout Europe so easily, but I also want to spend a lot of my time abroad in Budapest so that I can really say I know what it's like to live here. Anyways, I didn't waste any time and on Thursday I went with a friend to explore the Jewish quarter.
We started at the Dohány Street Synagogue, also known as the Great Synagogue. It's the largest synagogue in Europe and the third largest in the world. Within the walls surrounding the synagogue there is a cemetery for over 2,000 people who died in the Jewish ghetto during 1945-45. The statue pictured above is in the rear courtyard of the synagogue. It is the Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park -- each strand of the weeping willow is inscribed with one of the over 400,000 names of Hungarian Jews murdered by the Nazis.
Being from the United States, it is so easy to distance myself from WW2 because none of the fighting, bombing, fascism, or antisemitism happened within our borders. No one in the States witnessed people forced to wear the Star of David with shame on their coats; we didn't see Jews fired from their professions; corralled into disgusting ghettos; sent away to death camps. Of course I learned about WW2 and the Holocaust in history class, but that is nothing compared to physically seeing something like this statue. And honestly, one of the worst parts is, is that Hungary wasn't even one of the countries where the most Jewish people were murdered. Fathoming the atrocity that took place a mere seventy years ago is incredibly gripping and I've never really experienced being so affected by something that did not directly impact my life.
We continued on with our self-guided tour. Many of the buildings in this district have Hebrew engraved at the entrances. Interestingly enough, this area also has a thriving nightlife and we passed some very cool looking bars and restaurants. There were also good design and clothing shops.
This is another memorial statue within the Jewish quarter. The picture of the plaque is hard to read [I was happy it was in English though] but it says: 'Whoever saves a life is considered as if he has saved an entire world /Talmud/ In memory of those who in 1944 under leadership of the Swiss Consul Carl Lutz /1895-1975/ rescued thousands from National Socialist Persecution.'
Here, I have to admit my ignorance; I had no idea who Carl Lutz even was when I first saw this statue. After some research, I began to realize just how amazing his actions were. I highly recommend reading a bit about him yourself, but I can try and summarize. He was the Swiss vice-consul in Budapest in 1942 until the end of the war. He had support, but basically single-handedly used his power at the consulate to save the lives of over 62,000 Jews in Budapest. He issued Swiss safe-conduct documents to thousands, sending them to Palestine, and also issued letters of protection from the Swiss government to thousands remaining in Budapest. He set up safe houses in Budapest by putting them under the control of the Swiss, and therefore making them untouchable to the Hungarian Arrow Cross or German forces. One man was able to save half of the Jewish population of Budapest. If that isn't immensely awe inspiring..
At the end of our walk, we found a nice little restaurant to grab some soup and Hungarian fare. Many of the restaurants in this area have a kosher menu or kosher options. And, a lot of the markets had kosher sections.
I was so glad I was able to learn more about Budapest and the incredibly rich history of the city. Hopefully I keep discovering districts like this for the rest of my time here.
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