At 1137 Budapest, 1 Újpesti embankment (Újpesti rakpart 1.), Zsilip is more than a venue—it’s a warm, curious, open-door community space that makes Jewish culture easy to connect with. Drop in for the kosher café and bagels; stay for music, theater, study circles, and a two-story playhouse buzzing with family energy. The 2026 program is packed with hands-on parenting workshops, weekly Havruta learning, a moving one-woman show, and the rebooted Zsiliputi Jewish Sunday School for kids and teens.
April 26: Parents’ Club with Flóra Bacsó
When the simplest request spirals into a power struggle and everyone ends the day exhausted—sound familiar? This 90-minute practical workshop explores boundary-setting in parenting without wrecking connection. Through the lens of Connected Parenting, participants unpack what’s really going on behind a child’s defiance and learn how to set firm, loving limits while preserving a child’s sense of safety and the parent-child bond. Expect less theory and more tools for everyday roadblocks, space to bring your own “stormy” moment, and a judgment-free circle. Flóra Bacsó doesn’t promise miracles, but she offers direction and immediate tactics for a calmer home. Price: $4.00.
Every Sunday: Zsiliputi Jewish Sunday School
Back in action and refreshed under a new name, the Zsiliputi Jewish Sunday School welcomes kids aged 4–14 (teens too) every Sunday from 10:00 to 12:30 in the Zsilip Center’s two-story playhouse and study rooms. Grouped by age, children prepare for holidays, learn about mitzvot, explore traditions, and absorb values designed to stick for life. Whether you’re little, a pre-teen, prepping for your Bar/Bat Mitzvah, or heading toward leadership, there’s a place for you here on April 26, May 3, May 10, May 17, May 24, May 31, and June 7.
Weekly Havruta: House of Learning, Mondays
Study isn’t just academic in Judaism—it’s a worldview and a way of life. Havruta at Zsilip runs with the spirit of yeshivas: small groups, shared thinking, ancient wisdom brought to life. On Mondays, dive into the weekly Torah portion at 18:30 with Rabbi Sámuel Glitzenstein, then stay at 19:30 for The Role of Women in Judaism with Rebbetzin Sarah Nógrádi. Sessions continue on April 27, May 4, May 11, May 18, May 25, and June 1.
April 28: A Conversation with the Hero Grandmother
Rachel Ederi’s story grips from the first moment. Five armed terrorists broke into her home with murderous intent. She met them with biscuits, drinks, lunch—and unshakable composure. “I told myself: I have guests,” she says of the twenty-hour ordeal she survived unscathed, outwitting her captors with presence of mind and instinct. Hear her firsthand in conversation with Rabbi Jonatán Megyeri. Price: $2.70.
Wednesdays: Havruta Continues, Year Three
Momentum hasn’t slowed. Zsilip’s midweek Havruta carries the same communal energy and intellectual grit. Every Wednesday, it’s two hours, two tracks: 17:30 The Era of the Messiah—philosophy and halacha with Rabbi Báruch Oberlander; 18:30 The Book of Mitzvot—613 commandments with Rabbi Jonatán Megyeri. Dates include April 29, May 6, May 13, May 27, and June 3. On May 27 at 17:30, a special session with Rabbi Oberlander zeroes in on messianic times. Free with registration; halachically Jewish participants welcome; year-round entry possible.
May 1: Mini Shabbat for Families
Péntekecske (Little Friday) Friday Night brings a playful Shabbat welcome for kids—led by a madricha—while adults catch Rabbi Glitzi’s teaching in the synagogue. Expect stories and games about the weekly portion, Shabbat, and current holidays, with visuals, prizes, and even a raffle. Bring the whole family and make Shabbat a shared learning moment.
May 20: Women’s Learning with Rebbetzin Nógrádi
Rebbetzin Sarah Nógrádi tackles the question marks—and exclamation points—around women’s roles in Judaism in a focused Havruta session. Free with registration; halachically Jewish participants only. Ongoing entry throughout the year. Sessions include an evening slot at 19:30.
May 10: Babylon Dossier—A One-Woman Revival
At 30, the radiant young writer Olga Galló was deported to Auschwitz with her mother. In the camp and subsequent labor sites she kept a diary—sometimes at the cost of her food ration—because writing was survival, an escape from a brutal present back to a life longed for. She survived, but lost nearly everything: her mother, a beloved sibling, her home, and even her literary voice. In the new “normal” after the war, she acted as if nothing had happened; the diary stayed closed. Two decades later, after a nervous breakdown, she pulled it out on a doctor’s advice and vowed to publish. The Kádár-era silence on trauma didn’t welcome her plan—but she was not one to yield.
Her extraordinary camp diary and the letters documenting her fight to publish come to the stage as a unique monodrama performed by her granddaughter, Andrea Fullajtár. It’s a deeply personal rendering of the darkest pages of 20th-century Europe, laced with the absurd, tragicomic notes of socialism that draw a bittersweet smile. Text by Olga Galló, using the manuscript of Ten Months in Babylon (Tíz hónap Babilon) and her correspondence. Performed by Andrea Fullajtár; dramaturgy by Róbert Solt; music by Botond Lelkes; poster photo by Péter Németh; design by László Csáfordi; directed by Máté Szabó. Price: $15.80; with Haver Card: $13.45.
Good to Know
Zsilip is in Budapest’s 13th District at 1 Újpesti embankment (Újpesti rakpart 1.). The organizers reserve the right to change dates and programs. Many sessions are free with registration; some are limited to halachically Jewish participants. The café is kosher, the crowd is mixed-age and mixed-background, and the goal is simple: learn, connect, and feel at home.
