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Why have Hungarian Jews been locked out of their synagogue?

Two Orthodox Jewish communities have clashed over ownership of a Budapest shul

August 4, 2023 19:30
07-26-2023-Budapest-synagogue
2 min read

This week, outside Budapest’s Kazinczy Street Synagogue, Orthodox Jews gathered in prayer. They would have preferred to be davening inside. But synagogue management had locked them out of the building.

One man prayed over an overturned bin on the street, with his prayer books resting on the hood of a nearby car. “It was all very strange and awful,” a Jewish American visitor told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). “They were in such pain, and I was so sad”. 

The shul’s new management locked its doors on 20th July claiming the closure of the synagogue was due to necessary renovations. Many in the Orthodox Chasidic community (MAOIH), however, have disputed this. 

MAOIH’s former president, Róbert Deutsch, said that there are no construction sounds coming from the shul, and signs state that tourists can still enter for a fee.

Topics:

Hungary