Judaism meets theater, music, food, learning, walks, and celebrations across multiple Budapest districts and beyond. The Unified Hungarian Jewish Congregation (EMIH) has a full calendar—grab your tickets and dive in.
Kids, Crafts, and Hands-On Learning
The Zsiliputi Jewish Sunday School returns, refreshed, to the Zsilip Center’s two-level playhouse and study rooms in Budapest’s 13th District, Újpesti rakpart 1. Every Sunday, 10:00–12:30, kids and teens aged 4–14 prep for holidays, explore mitzvot, discover traditions, and pick up values that last a lifetime—whether you’re little, a tween, or pre–Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
KiddieTime takes over Óbuda on Wednesdays, 16:30–18:00, at the Óbuda Synagogue (Óbudai Zsinagóga; 1036 Budapest, Lajos u. 163.): music with parents, playful Jewish learning while adults get a mini Hebrew course, then everyone reunites for a closing krav maga session.
Walks Through Hidden Histories
Esztergom gets the spotlight with Matzah, Liqueur, Esztergom—a local-history walk tracing the city’s Jewish footprints, from a 3rd-century tombstone to a former mikveh. Led by urban historian Zoltán Aguera, the two-hour, 1.2-mile loop reveals how liqueur enters the story. Meet at Mindszenty Prince Primate Square (Mindszenty hercegprímás tér) 1. Tickets: $13.60; with Haver Card: $12.20.
In Budapest’s famed District VII, the Jewish Quarter’s Secret Spots tour is packed: step into the Kazinczy mikveh to learn how ritual immersion works, trace the vanished Orczy House—the once-beating heart of Jewish life—and taste classic kosher flódni at Carmel. Guide: Kata Nádas. Meeting point: the Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) statue on Madách Square (Madách tér; 1075 Budapest, Madách Imre tér 7).
Nightlife time travel arrives with From the Blue Cat (Kék Macska) to the Somossy Orpheum — Pest’s nightlife at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries, tracing long-gone clubs, orpheums, and brothels along Király and Nagymező streets. Expect names like Mici Senger—better known as Miss Arizona—plus Alfonzó and György Cziffra cameos. Guide: Péter Aradi. Start: Budapest VII, Király u. 15. Price: $13.60; Haver Card: $12.20. Accessible with assistance. Photos/audio may be recorded during walks.
Taste, Learn, and Cook
Fusion Foods, a thematic cooking workshop, starts with a bite-sized study session—because the brain uses 20–25% of our energy—then moves to kitchen adventures. Lead learner: Rebbetzin Tzivia Myers; chef: Balázs Sepsi. Register and pay on site. Registration fee: $13.60. Venue: Jewish House Szentendre (Zsidóház Szentendre), 2000 Szentendre, Pátriarka u. 6.
Papercraft blossoms for Shavuot in a hands-on workshop with returning guest Hanna Somogyi, making long-lasting paper flowers that echo Sinai in bloom. Doors: 18:30. Price: $5.40. Venue: Óbuda Synagogue (Óbudai Zsinagóga; Lajos u. 163.). Photos/audio may be recorded.
Weekly Learning, Memory, and Tea
Kabbalah class with Rabbi Baruch Oberlander runs Mondays at 19:00 in the Vasvári Pál Street Synagogue (1061 Budapest, Vasvári Pál u. 5).
Havruta – House of Learning Together at Zsilip (Újpesti rakpart 1) offers Mondays: 18:30 Weekly Torah portion with Rabbi Sámuel Glitzenstein; 19:30 The role of women in Judaism with Rebbetzin Sarah Nógrádi. A Wednesday Havruta track continues with small-group chevruta study in a yeshiva style, championing community and lifelong learning.
MemoriLabor memory training—mental aerobics aimed primarily at ages 50+ but open to all—keeps cognition, recall, and focus sharp. Price: $5.40. Venue: Óbuda Synagogue (Óbudai Zsinagóga; Lajos u. 163.).
Tea & Torah with Rabbi Shalom Ber meets Tuesdays at Jewish House Kecskemét (Zsidóház Kecskemét; 6000 Kecskemét, Katona József tér 12.), serving insight with a side of calm.
Shavuot: Torah, Dairy, Community
Shavuot lights up the map. In Szentendre’s Jewish House (Zsidóház; Pátriarka u. 6), Day 1 features: 20:00 festive prayer, 20:20 Torah marathon Part 1, 21:00 kiddush and feast, then all-night learning. Day 2 adds at 17:00 Ten reasons we eat dairy, 17:30 reading of the Ten Commandments, 18:00 cheesecake judging, and a dairy buffet with non-dairy options.
At Budapest’s Vasvári Synagogue, Shavuot Night 1 includes a 19:00 talk by Menachem Gyuri Szabó; 20:00 Mincha; 20:15 Rabbi Baruch Oberlander’s lecture; 21:05 evening service; 21:45 festive meal, learning, and a roundtable. Day 1 and Night 2 continue with services, the reading of the Ten Commandments, kiddush, and evening studies. On Shavuot Day 2, conclude with 9:15 Shacharit, 10:45 Yizkor, 11:00 Priestly Blessing, 11:45 kiddush; later 19:30 Mincha, 20:00 farbrengen farewell, 21:22 Maariv and Havdalah.
Óbuda hosts a full Shavuot: opening lecture by Slomó Köves—Are There Still Prophets?—then festive prayers, kiddush and dinner, followed by half-hour talks through the night: György Szántó on 30,000 Jewish refugees in Shanghai; András Szuhánszky on leadership responsibility; Brunó Nkanyimuo on Stoics and Jewish sages; András Fehérvári on Jewish learning and pedagogy; Jonatán Megyeri on biblical checks and balances; Dávid Löwenstein asks: Is tree-grown milk dairy?; Shalom Köves on biblical sites in Israel; Slomó Köves on what was heard at Sinai. Shavuot Day brings morning prayers, the reading of the Ten Commandments, a lavish dairy kiddush lunch, kids’ programs, afternoon/evening prayers, and kiddush.
Buda Castle District’s synagogue (Budavári zsinagóga; 1014 Budapest, Táncsics Mihály u. 26.) dedicates Night 1 to all-night learning and shared study; Day 2 features the reading of the Ten Commandments, a generous dairy feast, and the welcoming of Shabbat. The next morning continues with services and Yizkor.
Debrecen (4025 Debrecen, Piac u. 5–7.) celebrates with the reading of the Ten Commandments from a Torah scroll and a dairy-rich festive buffet—bring your appetite and your curiosity.
At Zsilip, families get the full arc: the reading of the Ten Commandments, raffle, kids’ activities, an ice cream party to honor the holiday’s dairy tradition, and Kabbalat Shabbat. The Shabbat dinner carries a Shavuot twist.
Theater Stories, Trivia, and Home Flavor
Theater Histories and Quiz continues with Ágnes Szebényi from the Bajor Gizi Museum, spotlighting Kálmán Latabár, Juci Komlós, and József Székhelyi—plus offstage tales. Quiz: June 8, 10:00. Venue: Óbuda Synagogue (Óbudai Zsinagóga). Price: $5.40; Haver Card: $4.10.
Home magic? Kitchen spice! Join a relaxed craft-and-learn circle in Szentendre’s Jewish House (Zsidóház) to prep for upcoming holidays with conversation and soul-soothing bites. 2000 Szentendre, Pátriarka u. 6.
