Budapest and beyond are buzzing with Jewish culture this spring: Torah study, theater-history walks, Kabbalah classes, kids’ afternoons, culinary traditions, and all-night Shavuot learning. EMIH’s citywide lineup stretches from Óbuda to Terézváros, the Castle District, Szentendre, Debrecen, Kecskemét, and Hegyvidék. Pick your neighborhood, grab a seat, and join in.
Learn Together: Havruta and Weekly Torah
Havruta – The House of Learning Together anchors the week at Zsilip, 1137 Budapest, Újpest Embankment (Újpesti rakpart) 1 (13th district). Mondays at 18:30, Rabbi Sámuel Glitzenstein unpacks the weekly parsha; at 19:30, rebbetzin Sarah Nógrádi explores women’s roles in Judaism. On Wednesdays the program doubles down: 17:30 Rabbi Baruch Oberlander teaches The Messianic Era: Philosophy and Halacha; 18:30 Rabbi Jonatán Megyeri guides The Book of Mitzvot – the 613 commandments. Small-group, yeshiva-style study welcomes knowledge-hungry participants; some sessions are for halachically Jewish attendees, with free but registration-only entry.
Kabbalah on Mondays
Every Monday at 19:00, Rabbi Baruch Oberlander leads a Kabbalah class at the Vasvári Pál Street Synagogue, 1061 Budapest, Vasvári Pál u. 5 (6th district, Terézváros). Repeated listings underscore the same time and venue—come once, stay weekly.
Boost Your Brain, Any Age
MemoryLab – Memory Training returns to Óbuda Synagogue (Óbudai Zsinagóga), 1036 Budapest, Lajos u. 163. Inspired by Anders Hansen’s The Real Happy Pill (Edzett agy): “Memories are like winding paths between brain cells; the well-trodden road remains.” Designed chiefly for those over 50 as “mental aerobics” to sharpen cognition, memory, and focus—yet open to all. Price: 2,000 HUF (about USD 5.50).
Tea & Torah Tuesdays
In Kecskemét, Rabbi Shalom Ber hosts Tea & Torah every Tuesday at the Kecskemét Jewish House (Zsidóház Kecskemét), 6000 Kecskemét, Katona József tér 12. Study that settles the mind like a sip of your favorite tea, helping make sense of the world—and yourself.
Hands-On Shavuot Prep
On May 19, women’s learning regular Hanna Somogyi teaches Shavuot paper-flower crafting at Óbuda Synagogue (1036, Lajos u. 163). Mount Sinai bloomed at revelation; these handmade blooms can keep that memory alive for years. Doors 18:30. Entry: 2,000 HUF (about USD 5.50). Photos/audio may be recorded for web and social use.
Kids Take Over Wednesdays
KiddieTime rules Wednesdays 16:30–18:00 in Óbuda for ages 3–10 (Lajos u. 163). First up: music with parents; then playful Jewish learning while parents brush up on Hebrew; finally, families reunite for a burst of krav maga. Music, learning, games, movement—everything Jewish in one afternoon.
Shavuot: First Night to Farewell
Vasvári Synagogue (Vasvári Pál u. 5) lights up the first evening of Shavuot, May 21: 19:00 talk by Menachem Gyuri Szabó; 20:00 Mincha; 20:15 Rabbi Baruch Oberlander’s lecture; 21:05 evening prayers; 21:45 festive meal, learning, and roundtable. Register and dive into Sinai’s atmosphere.
In Buda Castle, the Buda Castle Synagogue (Budavári Zsinagóga), 1014 Budapest, Táncsics Mihály u. 26, hosts one of the most special programs: an all-night learning marathon with lectures and collective study. Register early and spend the night learning together. On day two, they’ll read the Ten Commandments, serve a rich dairy feast, and welcome Shabbat; the holiday continues the next morning with prayers and Yizkor.
Óbuda Synagogue’s epic Shavuot Night begins May 21: 19:00 opening lecture—Rabbi Slomó Köves asks, Are There Still Prophets? Then 20:00 festive prayers; 20:30 Kiddush and dinner; from 21:15, rolling half-hour talks: György Szántó on 30,000 Jewish refugees in Shanghai; András Szuhánszky on leaders’ responsibility; Brunó Nkanyimuo on the Stoics and Pirkei Avot; András Fehérvári on Jewish learning and pedagogy; Jonatán Megyeri on biblical checks and balances; Dávid Löwenstein’s quirky Is Milk Milk if It Grows on a Tree? (Tejes-e a fán növesztett tej?); Shalom Köves on biblical sites in Israel; and Slomó Köves on what our ancestors heard at Sinai.
Szentendre’s Jewish House (Zsidóház), 2000 Szentendre, Patriarch Street (Pátriarka u.) 6, marks Shavuot over two days: May 21 features prayers from 20:00, Torah Marathon Part 1 at 20:20, Kiddush and feast at 21:00, then marathon till dawn. Day two (May 22): 17:00 Ten reasons we eat dairy on Shavuot; 17:30 Ten Commandments; 18:00 cheesecake judging; dairy buffet with non-dairy options.
Hegyvidék’s Jewish House goes big: May 21 at 19:30, Rabbi Áron Keszler leads evening prayers and Kiddush; May 22 at 15:30, Ten Commandments reading, craft ice-cream specials, and great kids’ programming.
Vasvári keeps the momentum on May 22—the first night returns with prayers, Ten Commandments, Kiddush, and more learning. On May 23, they close with a full arc: 9:15 Shacharit; 10:45 Yizkor; 11:00 Priestly Blessing; 11:45 Kiddush; 19:30 Mincha; 20:00 farbrengen; 21:22 evening prayers and Havdalah.
Óbuda’s Shavuot Day lineup: 10:00 morning prayers; 11:00 Ten Commandments; 12:00 dairy Kiddush; 18:30 learning; 19:00 afternoon and evening prayers; 20:00 Kiddush—plus kids’ activities and a famously flavorful all-dairy lunch.
Debrecen, 4025, Piac u. 5–7, unfurls the scrolls and the milk: public reading of the Ten Commandments and a festive dairy buffet.
Fest, Learn, Walk, Repeat
Zsilip Jewish Sunday School returns May 24 and May 31, 10:00–12:30 at Zsilip (Újpest Embankment/Újpesti rakpart 1), welcoming ages 4–14 to prep for holidays, learn mitzvot, meet tradition, and bank values for life—all in a two-floor playhouse-meets-learning hub.
Szentendre’s Home Magic? Kitchen Spice! (Otthoni bűvszer? Konyhai fűszer!) on May 24 at Patriarch Street (Pátriarka u.) 6 blends crafts, light study, easy conversation, and treats to get ready for upcoming holidays.
Budapest’s nighttime past gets the spotlight May 26 on the walk From the Blue Cat Nightclub (Kék Macska Mulató) to the Somossy Orpheum—Pest’s Nightlife at the Turn of the Century. Guide Péter Aradi traces vanished cabarets, orpheums, and brothels along Király and Nagymező, where owners, stars, and patrons were largely Jewish. Meet Mici Senger—aka Miss Arizona—and her connections to Alfonzó and György Cziffra. Accessible with assistance; photos/audio may be recorded. Meeting point: Budapest VII, Király u. 15. Price: 5,000 HUF (about USD 13.70), Haver Card: 4,500 HUF (about USD 12.30).
Theater Stories and Quiz on May 27 at Óbuda (Lajos u. 163) features theater historian Ágnes Szebényi with legends Kálmán Latabár, Juci Komlós, and József Székhelyi—anecdotes, backstage secrets, and a June 8, 10:00 quiz. Entry: 2,000 HUF (about USD 5.50), Haver Card 1,500 HUF (about USD 4.10).
Explore sacred architecture and Jewish burial customs May 31 at the closed Salgótarjáni Street Jewish Cemetery, 1086 Budapest, Salgótarjáni u. 6: discover Béla Lajta’s monumental tombs and a turul atop Vilmos Vázsonyi’s grave. Dr. László Negyela leads with architect Zorán Vukoszávlyev.
And yes—Monday Kabbalah and MemoryLab continue June 1 at Vasvári and Óbuda. Keep the calendar open.
