Join us in Transylvania’s cultural capital, Cluj-Napoca, for the 10th Cluj-Napoca Jewish Days from October 25-28, 2025. All programs are free to attend.
October 25: Saturday Kickoff
At 3 PM, dive into “Wine, the Bath and the Holiday â Special Sabbath Stand-Up” at Bulgakov Coffeehouse. Borgula AndrĂĄs, artistic director of Budapest’s GĂłlem Theater, spills the beans on why Shabbat arrives and departs, why we sniff spices Saturday night with a special candle, and what we eat and drink during this unique holiday. Expect laughs, great vibes, and a touch of kosher flair. Participants get a real Shabbat tasting: challah, flĂłdni, Jewish eggs, paired with a glass of kosher wine. Wrap up by bidding farewell to Shabbat together with songs and good cheer. (Come if you’re not Jewish… or if you are.)
Later at 7 PM, the festive opening rocks the Cluj-Napoca Evangelical-Lutheran Church with IllĂ©nyi Katica’s tango and klezmer concert, backed by the Steve Jazz Trio. What links South American tango’s fiery passion with Eastern European klezmer’s deeply human, lyrical soul? It’s music’s universal language, bridging cultures, emotions, and fates. Versatile singer IllĂ©nyi Katica teams up with the trio for vocals, violin, and the mystical touchless theremin. Tango heat meets klezmer warmth in a tribute to traditions and genre diversity, every note telling tales of life’s joy, pain, and beauty. Steve Jazz Trio: Bundzik IstvĂĄn on piano, HorvĂĄth Gyula on bass guitar, KacsenyĂĄk GĂĄbor on drums.
October 26: Sunday Explorations
At 3 PM, join “More Lasting Than Stone,” a walk through the old Orthodox Jewish Cemetery on Tordai Road with SzilĂĄgyi Adrienn Rebeka and Sipos DĂĄvid. Approaching from the south, spot the city treasure from a high hill, then notice the cemetery on the winding, steep Tordai Road. Is it HĂĄzsongĂĄrd? Nope. Ivy clings to stumbling stones, rain and frost erase inscriptions, but few know that striking black marble tomb with the golden Star of David belongs to SebestyĂ©n DĂĄvid. Links to the Palace of Justice, Parliament, Supreme Court, Jewish hospital, Dermata Works Inc., Eastern Newspaper, ZsakĂł-Kohn list, Gyalui Rosenberg BernĂĄt, SebestyĂ©n Palace, Commercial and Credit Bank? Discover on this walk. Meet at Tordai Ășt 116, cemetery entrance.
At 7 PM, “The World of Silent Films In Memoriam Janovics JenĆ” at BĂĄnffy MiklĂłs Opera Studio (Samuil Micu 12). Music historian BĆsze ĂdĂĄm and pianist Palojtay JĂĄnos reveal how silent films were box-office gold back then. Cluj-Napoca’s theater legend Janovics JenĆ saw the potential, producing hits in his studio for artistic and financial success. Not truly silentâlive pianists improvised scores on-site. The duo revives this colorful era with fun stories, original film sketches, and spontaneous piano, blending black-and-white magic with vibrant sound.
October 27: Monday Magic
At 8 PM, “Israel’s Child Is Never Alone!” features chief cantor NĂłgrĂĄdi Gergely and musical friends at the Horea Road (Great Street) Synagogue. Back by popular demand, Budapest’s Frankel Synagogue cantorâhonored as Honorary Envoy of Hungarian Culture and Art at the Washington embassy, Knight’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Meritâpromises a unique sound. Accompanied by award-winning pianist Teszter Nelli and the Prima Prize-winning Kuna brothers’ brass section. Expect beloved Jewish songs, global hits, operetta and musical classics sung by one of Europe’s top cantors. Musicians: Teszter Nelli (piano), Kuna Gyula (trumpet), Kuna Bence (horn), Kuna MĂĄrton (trombone).
October 28: Tuesday Finale
At 6 PM, “One Makes It…” explores film and theater music through a series of 10-minute segments at the Cluj-Napoca Evangelical-Lutheran Church. Actor LaczkĂł Vass RĂłbert and pianist SzĂ©p AndrĂĄs unpack how songs become hits, tracing forgotten backstories from composers to lyricists. Their musical journey spans the Carpathian Basin to America and back to Cluj-Napoca via obscure tales.
At 8 PM, Dixieland and klezmer blast from the Debrecen Dixieland Jazz Band at the City Center Unitarian Church. Since they formed, they’ve rocked over 1,200 concerts across Europe and twice in New Orleans. Regulars at Debrecen Jazz Days since 1985, their set mixes New Orleans roots with klezmer-Yiddish vibes in “Clash of Styles” since 2016. They’ve lit up Jewish events in Debrecen synagogues, Cluj-Napoca, Berehove (BeregszĂĄsz), Gyöngyös, SzĂ©kesfehĂ©rvĂĄr, BerettyĂłĂșjfalu, and Budapest. Band: KovĂĄcs JĂĄnos (trumpet, vocals, leader), Gyarmathy IstvĂĄn (clarinet), KovĂĄcs Marietta (violin, vocals), TĂłth DĂĄniel (trombone), TikĂĄsz SĂĄndor (banjo, guitar, vocals), Kerekes Imre (tuba), MezĆ OrbĂĄn (drums).
Bonus: Side Program
Score discounted entry to the Muzeon – Jewish History Museum during the festival. This isn’t your standard museum; it’s a memory site filling the void left by the Holocaust. Preserving Cluj-Napoca and North Transylvania’s Jewish community, it weaves personal stories with audio and digital installations to relive daily life, traumas, and legacy. Visitors actively step into a former Jewish family’s world. Through storytelling, silenced voices speak again in a dialogue between past and present.
