|
|
|
|
|
Sam Margolis
Hungary Diarist
The world's smallest synagogue
Most of the Szanto Zsinagoga
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
SHOULD A CONVENTION of linebackers decide to hold a minyan while on a trip
to Hungary they would be best directed to the ornate and opulent Dohanyi
Street Synagogue, one of the largest in the world, situated in downtown
Budapest.
One would not lead them north along the Danube to the Szanto Zsinagoga, a
Hungarian synagogue which prides itself as being "the smallest synagogue in
the world", where ten ballerinas would have a difficult time squeezing in.
Finding the Szanto Synagogue while not requiring a magnifying glass is still
not an easy task, particularly if one is not conversant in the Hungarian
idiom. Even if one can muster a couple of sentences in the Magyar tongue
that does not mean the task is a done deal as it would appear most residents
of this small town of 20,000 have nary the faintest idea where the place is.
The trip to Szentendre is best taken by a scenic boat ride along the mighty
river. The other alternative is the suburban metro, a forty-five minute
trip, which at about the cost of a dollar for the journey was just about all
my budget allowed.
After disembarking from the metro, my photographer, Szabolcs, and I
proceeded to make the mile trek mostly up hill through the town center and
on to the temple, but not before breaking for a langos (fried bread best
accompanied by sour cream--delicious but not the stuff for the diet
conscious) to collect our energy along the way.
While serving as a centre for Hungarian artisans, Szentendre also seems to
be vying for the moniker of Central European tourist trap. That is, after
paying four times what one should for a bowl of beef goulash one can walk
out on the street and pay ten times what one should for a Hungarian quilt.
(Nevertheless, a stop at the Marzipan Café and the gallery of ceramic
artist Margit Kovacs are two other destinations not to be missed on this day
trip.)
Having traversed this hilly town from end to end, we finally found our
intended destination, but not after passing by a couple of times –hence
proving that the synagogue was about to live up to its billing.
The Szanto Memorial House and Temple was officially opened on May 17, 1998
by Professor Jozsef Sweitzer, the chief rabbi of Hungary. It is the first
new synagogue to have been built in Hungary since the end of World War II.
Before World War II, approximately 250 Jews lived in Szentendre. Among them
was the Szanto family from which the synagogue derives its name.
Lajos Szanto and his wife perished after the Jews living in Szentendre were
deported to various death camps in June, 1944. Their son Gyorgy Szanto
decided to erect a memorial place in the courtyard of the house he was born
in honor of their memory. In 1997, Gyorgy Szanto died and his desire for the
memorial to the Szentendre Jews was fulfilled by his son Andras early last year.
The memorial house features an illustrated history of Jewish life in
Szentendre prior to the war. The showcases hold several relics and local
documents from the Jewish community in Szentendre from 1828 to 1944.
The showcases also include a picture of the Jewish Elementary School on a
field trip to the Budapest Zoo. Only one of the little girls in the picture
survived
