Lecture by Borcsa Lakos about Budapest & Raoul Wallenberg

Tuesday, November 19, 18:00, Stockholm

The largest European Synagogue is located in the heart of Budapest, in the so-called Jewish Quarter which has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site. The “ghetto” draws thousands of tourists daily, who want to learn about Hungarian Jewish history, culture, tradition, and food. In fact, the Great Synagogue is the second most visited sight in Hungary with more than 480000 visitors last year only.

When it comes to the darkest days of the history of the Hungarian Jews, a name that is to be mentioned in the first place, is that of Raoul Wallenberg. During the interactive lecture we will cover 2000 years of Jewish history with the main focus on the 19th and 20th centuries. Why does Budapest have one of the largest synagogues in the world? Why did a member of the wealthy Swedish Wallenberg family arrive to the Hungarian capital during World War II? Are there still Jews living in the famous Jewish Quarter of Budapest these days? We will talk about the past and the present of Jewish Budapest. Walk Like Me.

The lecture will given by Borcsa Lakos.

Borcsa was born and raised in Hungary. She holds a B.Sc. in tourism management and has been working as a licensed tour guide in Budapest for the past few years. In 2013/14 she studied in Stockholm as a Baruch Spinoza Fellow at Paideia — The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden. Currently, she is completing her M.A. in cultural history at the Jewish Theological Seminary (Budapest University of Jewish Studies). In addition to her work and her studies, Borcsa is a Jewish activist. She launched the Track & Field Club of Maccabi Hungary and established her own project: the Talmud Not Only for Women – Talmud NOW. Talmud NOW intends to smuggle the Talmud out of the Yeshiva world and to make this ancient text relevant to our contemporary life in the 21st century as well as to bring the Talmudic/critical thinking closer to the Jewish and non-Jewish communities in Hungary.

Obligatory registration November 15:

The lecture is in English. Free Entrance.

The event is organized in cooperation between Paideia, Jewish Community in Stockholm and Bajit.