About us
MAZSIHISZ, one of
the four historic denominations in Hungary, is the general representative of
the Jewish community in Hungary. Its main body is the General Assembly, whose
121 members are representatives of the synagogues in Hungary and the rabbis.
Every four years they elect the president, the managing director and the board
of directors.
According to
various estimates, there are more than 120,000 Jews living in Hungary today,
most of them in Budapest. The Federation includes about forty synagogues, some
twenty of which have regular services in the capital. In the countryside, too,
there is an increasingly active Jewish religious and cultural life. In addition
to maintaining religious traditions, the main tasks of the Mazsihisz include
social assistance and the strengthening and expansion of traditional Jewish
education.
The Mazsihisz
represents Holocaust survivors in various reparations cases in Hungary and
abroad. In this respect, it has already achieved considerable success in the
negotiations.
After the regime
change in 1989, a new chapter in the life of Hungarian Jewry began. The removal
of the restrictions previously imposed by the atheist state made the free
practice of religion possible again. The renewed synagogue life created
increasingly vibrant community ties: adherence to religious rules, their joint
study and teaching, the strengthening of the moral foundations of Judaism and
social care based on the commandments of the Torah came to the fore again.
Mazsihisz has
excellent relations with national and international Jewish organizations: it is
a member of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), the European Jewish Congress
(EJC), the European Council of Jewish Communities (ECJC), and an important
partner of the State of Israel, as well as the Claims Conference, the Joint,
the Jewish Agency (Sochnut), the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Zionist
movement.
Today, Mazsihisz
plays a central coordinating and exclusive institutional role in the colorful,
multifaceted landscape of Jewish culture and public life. We consider it our
task to bring the possibility of spiritual enrichment through the practice of
the Jewish religion within the reach of Hungarian Jews, while at the same time
acting as a bridge for the majority Hungarian society, conveying the values of
our faith and culture.
In the framework
of our social work, we deliver 600 lunches a day to the needy and distribute
2500 food parcels a year. The social network maintained by Mazsihisz makes the
daily lives of 3000 people more comfortable. In our hospital and social homes,
we care for nearly 1000 patients a year. In our institutions of Jewish
identity, our kindergartens, schools and a university, more than 700 children
and students are preparing for their future.
The Federation is also actively
involved in the organization of Jewish cultural life. We are proud of our
European art events renowned all over Europe, our hugely popular Jewish
Cultural Festival, our prestigious exhibitions and our thematic events that
provide a lasting experience.
Hungarian Jewish
culture and tradition is particularly rich, vibrant and interesting. The roots
of Hungarian Jewry date back to the period before the founding of the state of
St. Stephen, and after the adversities of the Middle Ages, the spectacular
changes came in the 19th century, when emancipated Jewry was given the
opportunity to develop its skills and talents. They gave the country of their
birth notable scientists, doctors, thinkers, writers, artists and individuals
who built the economy and contributed to the prosperity of the country in many
different walks of life.
At the darkest point of our common history, during the
Holocaust, over 600,000 Hungarian Jews were murdered. The wounds are difficult
to heal, but there is hope that the Jewish revival of the past decades will
provide a lasting foundation for a renaissance of Jewish life in Hungary.
