2026 is packed with Jewish community events from the Unified Hungarian Jewish Congregation (EMIH): learning, theater, music, food, city walks, and holidays across multiple Budapest districts and beyond. Pick your program, grab tickets, and go.
Sunday School Returns to the Zsilip
Zsilip Jewish Sunday School is back in the Zsilip Center’s two-level playhouse and study rooms. Every Sunday, 10:00–12:30, a young, upbeat team hosts kids aged 4–14 in age-group sessions to prep for holidays, learn about mitzvot, explore traditions, and pick up values that last a lifetime. Whether you’re tiny, a tween, almost an “ifi,” or pre–Bar/Bat Mitzvah, this is for you. Location: Zsilip, 1137 Budapest, Újpesti rakpart 1 (District 13). Dates include May 3, 10, and 17.
Havruta: The House of Learning, Together
Learning is a worldview and a way of life here. Havruta runs at Zsilip on Mondays and Wednesdays in small, discussion-led groups modeled on yeshivas. Monday schedule: 18:30 Weekly Torah portion with Rabbi Sámuel Glitzenstein; 19:30 The role of women in Judaism with Rebbetzin Sarah Nógrádi. Wednesday schedule: 17:30 The Messianic era—philosophy and halacha—with Rabbi Baruch Oberlander; 18:30 The Book of Mitzvot—613 commandments—with Rabbi Jonatán Megyeri. Venue: 1137 Budapest, Újpesti rakpart 1.
Kabbalah Nights with Rabbi Oberlander
Kabbalah class every Monday at 19:00 in the Vasvári Pál Street Synagogue with Rabbi Baruch Oberlander. Address: 1061 Budapest, Vasvári Pál Street 5 (Terézváros). Sessions are on May 4, 11, and 18.
Lag BaOmer 5786: Bonfire, Grill, DJ from Israel
Break the somber Omer days with one of the biggest outdoor events of the year: a blazing bonfire, fire-cooked food, and a star DJ from Israel—celebrating the day a deadly plague ended in Rabbi Akiva’s time. Venue: UTE Canoe-Kayak Division, 1036 Budapest, Árpád Fejedelem Road 125. Price: $11.00. Date: May 4.
Memory Lab: Training for Your Mind
“Memories are like paths between brain cells. Well-trodden paths remain; those we rarely walk grow over and disappear,” writes Anders Hansen in Peak Brain. This memory workout—designed mainly for ages 50+—keeps cognition, memory, and concentration in shape. Open to all ages. Price: $5.50. Venue: Óbuda Synagogue (Óbudai Zsinagóga), 1036 Budapest, Lajos Street 163. Dates: May 4 and May 18.
Tea & Torah in Kecskemét
Five o’clock Tea & Torah every Tuesday with Rabbi Shalom Ber: spiritual nourishment that helps make sense of the world—like a calming sip of your favorite tea. Venue: Jewish House Kecskemét (Zsidóház Kecskemét), 6000 Kecskemét, Katona József Square 12. Dates include May 5, 12, and 19.
KiddieTime in Óbuda
Every Wednesday, 16:30–18:00, kids 3–10 get an afternoon of music, learning, play, and movement. First, a parent-child music session; then playful Jewish learning for kids while parents boost Hebrew in a language course; finally, parents rejoin for a closing krav maga segment. Venue: Óbuda Synagogue (Óbudai Zsinagóga), 1036 Budapest, Lajos Street 163. Dates include May 6, 13, and 20.
Oxford Night in Óbuda: The Future of Humanity
What happens when a behavioral scientist who teaches at Oxford meets an Orthodox rabbi? Expect a fast-forward tour of our accelerating times. On TalkSló, Rabbi Slomó Köves hosts Tamás Dávid-Barrett to explore where humanity is heading. Please respect Shabbat: no phones or electronic devices inside the synagogue. Venue: Óbuda Synagogue (Óbudai Zsinagóga), 1036 Budapest, Lajos Street 163. Price: $18.90; with Haver Card: $16.10. Date: May 8.
Babylon Dossier: A Haunting Monodrama
Olga Galló, a radiant young writer, was deported to Auschwitz at 30. She kept a diary in the camp and later in other camps—trading even food rations for paper and pencil to escape into memory through writing. She survived but lost her mother, beloved sibling, home, and, for a time, her literary gift. Two decades later, after a breakdown, she revisited her diary and fought to publish it despite the silence of the Kádár era. Her extraordinary camp diary and the letters documenting her battle for publication come to life on stage in a one-woman show by her granddaughter, Andrea Fullajtár. The script draws on Galló’s Tíz hónap Babilon (Ten Months in Babylon) manuscript and correspondence. Performed by Andrea Fullajtár; dramaturgy by Róbert Solt; music by Botond Lelkes; poster photo by Péter Németh; poster design by László Csáfordi; directed by Máté Szabó. Venue: Zsilip, 1137 Budapest, Újpesti rakpart 1. Price: $16.20; with Haver Card: $13.80. Date: May 10.
Stetl Walk: Menorah and Cobblestone—To Szentendre
Szentendre is famed as a painters’ town—many of them Jewish. It also witnessed Radnóti’s forced labor and once hosted thriving Jewish families and fine shops on the main square. Guide János Vajda leads stops including Kossuth Street and Deim Square (Jewish homes and histories), the Ferenczy Museum courtyard (Radnóti plaque), Petőfi Street (former Jewish school and house of prayer), Dumtsa Street (Lajos Vajda plaque and Jewish artists), Main Square (Jewish shops, family stories, Stolpersteine), the Szántó Memorial and Prayer House (local Jewish history, Holocaust memorial), and Jewish House Szentendre (Zsidóház Szentendre) with a 10–15 minute talk by Rabbi Mendy Myers. Refreshing lemonade awaits in Cháj Café. Meeting point: Szentendre HÉV terminal. Price: $11.00; with Haver Card: $9.90. Date: May 10.
Hidden Corners of the Jewish Quarter
Discover District VII beyond the postcards: step into the mikveh and learn how ritual immersion works; stand where the long-gone Orczy House—once the hub of Jewish life—stood; taste classic kosher flódni at Carmel. Guide: Kata Nádas. Meeting: Sisi statue at Madách Square. Route: Kazinczy mikveh – Kazinczy Synagogue – Carmel Restaurant (with flódni bites). Photos/audio may be recorded for media use. Date: May 17; meeting point: 1075 Budapest, Madách Imre Square 7.
Street Food, With Soul
Your brain burns 20–25% of your body’s energy—so feed mind and body. This thematic cooking class starts with a short learning “starter” led by Rebbetzin Tzivia Myers, then dives into hands-on culinary adventures with Chef Balázs Sepsi. Register and pay on site. Registration fee: 5,000 Ft ($13.50). Venue: Jewish House Szentendre (Zsidóház Szentendre), 2000 Szentendre, Patriarch Street (Pátriarka utca) 6. Date: May 17.
Theater Stories and a Quiz
The hit series returns with theater historian Ágnes Szebényi (Bajor Gizi Theater Museum) and three legends of Jewish heritage: Kálmán Latabár, Juci Komlós, and József Székhelyi—secrets, backstage lore, stories, and aphorisms. Sessions: Juci Komlós on May 11, 10:00; József Székhelyi on May 27, 10:00. Quiz: June 8, 10:00. Venue: Óbuda Synagogue (Óbudai Zsinagóga), 1036 Budapest, Lajos Street 163. Price: $5.50; with Haver Card: $4.10.
Paper Flowers for Shavuot
Artist Hanna Somogyi returns to teach beautiful paper-flower crafting for Shavuot, recalling how Mount Sinai burst into bloom. Doors open 18:30. Photos/audio may be recorded for media. Venue: Óbuda Synagogue (Óbudai Zsinagóga), 1036 Budapest, Lajos Street 163. Price: $5.50. Date: May 19.
Havruta Night with Rebbetzin Nógrádi
Rebbetzin Sarah Nógrádi returns at 19:30 on May 20 for an evening that clears up question marks (and exclamation points) through open, engaging study and conversation. Venue announced within the Havruta series community; Óbuda district programming applies.
