Explore Jewish culture in the heart of Budapest at Judafest

The 11^th Judafest will be held between 7-10 June, transforming what is today the party centre of the 7^th district into a colourful festival of contemporary Jewish culture with historical walks, film screenings and even a children’s kibbutz, as vs.hu reports.

The festival will kick off on the 7 June with an open-air film screening, followed by services open to the public in the Heroes’ Temple and the Great Synagogue in Dohány street.

The Great Synagogue of Budapest, the largest in Europe and second largest in the world. Photo: M3peti / Wikipedia

Although the inner quarter of Erzsébetváros (Elizabethtown) is today most familiar to turists as the zone of the fabled Budapest ruin pubs, but it used to be the Jewish quarter of the city.

And now, those interested in its rich history can take part in guided walks around the area on Saturday. Finally, on Sunday, Kazinczy street (between Király street and Wesselényi street) will host free concerts on two stages as well as a market. Kereszt utca, which used to be home to kosher butcheries, restaurants and cafés, will also turn into a street festival mode.

There will be musical and gastronomical events, stalls with traditional Jewish flavours and handicraft, and charity fairs and book fairs. If you get overwhelmed, you can take a rest in a chill-out corner or immerse yourself in the Hungarian-Jewish cinematic art in the movie tent.

The guest of honour this year is the Hungarian-speaking Jewish community, who will be represented by major cities outside Budapest such as Debrecen, Pécs, Szeged, or Sopron, and even by towns beyond the border like Komárom, Szabadka and Tel Aviv. The organisers of Judafest are supporting religious diversity, democracy and looking out for each other.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/pg/Judafest/

Source: vs.hu