Kosherica is incredibly excited about our upcoming glatt kosher Jewish heritage riverboat cruise in August 2021 along the Danube river. We will be visiting some of the most important Jewish history sites in this part of Europe and we can’t wait to experience this all with our Kosherica family.
In this blog we will be exploring some of these incredible sites in preparation for this amazing river cruise tour.
The Great Synagogue in Dohány Street, Budapest, Hungary – located in the eastern section of Budapest and was built between 1854-1859. The synagogue has a capacity of 2,964 seats which makes it one of the largest synagogues in the world. The Dohany synagogue was used as a shelter, and towards the end of World War II, it suffered some severe damage from aerial raids during the battle for the liberation of Budapest. A Holocaust memorial was erected in 1991 and was dedicated to the memory of the Hungarian Jews who perished in the Holocaust. The synagogue has been one of the most renowned landmarks of Budapest, and today serves as the main synagogue of the local Jewish community as well as a major tourist attraction.
The Hungarian Jewish Museum – the museum is located in the same complex as the Dohany Synagogue. The museum was opened in 1932 in a matching architectural style to the synagogue. In 1942 two employees of the Hungarian National Museum hid the valuable artifacts of the Jewish Museum in the cellar. Thanks to their bravery the entire rcollection exists today.
Shoes on the Danube Promenade – from October 1944 to March 1945, the Arrow Cross Party ruled Hungary and during this time, thousands of civilians (mostly Jewish) were deported, sent to slave labour camps or murdered. During this time, Jews in Budapest were often rounded up on the banks of the Danube and killed and were regularly forced to remove their shoes. In memory of those who lost their lives during this horrific time, the “Shoes on the Danube” memorial was erected on April 16, 2005.
Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park – located in the courtyard of the Dohany synagogue, it resembles a weeping willow inscribed with the names Hungarian Jews who were murdered by the Nazis. The memorial is named after Raoul Wallenberg who was a Swedish businessman-turned-diplomat based in Budapest and was responsible for the rescue of thousands (some estimates are as high as 100,000) of Hungarian Jews from extermination by the Nazis.
Kosherica is honored to be able to visit these sites, among so many other historical Jewish landmarks on this amazing glatt Kosher river cruise and we look forward to exploring these incredible places with our wonderful guests.