Hungary

Chabad Hasidim in a meeting with Hungarian leaders at the Presidential Palace. From right to left: the President of Hungary Mr. Pal Schmitt, Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Zsolt Schmein, Rabbi Aryeh Goldberg, Deputy Director General of the Rabbi Center of Europe, Rabbi Baruch Oberlander, the Rebbe's envoy to Hungary, Chief Rabbi Rabbi Yona Metzger, and Rabbi Shlomo Kovesh

Hungary is a country in Central Europe sharing borders with Austria, Ukraine, and Romania. The Rebbe's shluchim serve in the country, holding senior positions in the government and spreading Yiddishkeit and Chassidus among the Jewish population, which includes approximately 10,000 people, mostly residing in the capital city of Budapest.

History

The Forum of Young Rabbis of Europe against the backdrop of the Synagogue of Rabbi Shlomo Kovesh

The country has a rich history, with control often passing between world powers. During its peak, it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and after defeat in World War I, it became an independent nation. During World War II, Hungary was controlled by the Nazis, and a Holocaust occurred where about half a million Jews were murdered and tortured, out of 750,000 Jews who lived in the country before the war. After the war, the country was controlled by the Soviet army, which imposed a communist regime that fought against Jewish matters, continuing until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990.

Today, Hungary is part of NATO and belongs to the European Union, though it is not considered a fully democratic country.

The country is crossed by two major rivers, the Danube and the Tisza.

Hungarian Jewry

Throughout history, Hungarian Jewry was considered one of the largest and most prestigious communities, and in medieval writings, the country was called "Eretz Hagar." The country was home to gedolei Yisroel whose influence reached throughout the Jewish world, such as Rabbi Eizik of Tirnau, the Chasam Sofer, his descendants and students like the Maharam Shick, as well as prominent figures in the Chassidic world, such as Rabbi Yitzchak Eizik Taub - founder of Kaliv Chassidus, the 'Yismach Moshe' Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum of Uhel, father of the Satmar Chassidic dynasty, and others.

The country also contains important historical Jewish buildings, such as the Neolog synagogue in Budapest, which is the third largest in the world.

The country's population as of 2022 is close to 10,000,000 people, with 20% of the population living in the capital city Budapest, where most of the country's Jews are concentrated, forming an ethnic minority of about 10,000 Jews, representing only 0.1% of the general population.

After the Holocaust, in which about two-thirds of the Jewish residents in the country were destroyed, the Jewish community was suppressed by the communist regime for nearly fifty years. When the Chassidic UN was established, the Rebbe appointed Hungary native Rabbi Shmuel Chaffer to represent the country.

With the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Rebbe sent several shluchim to the country, who breathed new life into the Jewish community, restored the ancient synagogues to activity, and received respectful treatment from the authorities.

The most significant community in Hungary is the United Jewish Community of Hungary, led by the Rebbe's shluchim, Rabbi Shlomo Kovesh and Rabbi Baruch Oberlander.

Figures in the Country

• Rabbi Baruch Oberlander - The Rebbe's shliach to Budapest, Hungary, Av Beis Din and Moreh Tzedek, senior researcher of Chassidic movement history, and lecturer in law at the National University of Hungary.
• Rabbi Shlomo Kovesh - The Rebbe's shliach in Hungary, rabbi of the oldest synagogue in Hungary, rabbi of the United Hungarian Jewish Community (EMIH), and Chief Military Rabbi of the Hungarian government.
• Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Feldman - Among the Rebbe's shluchim in Hungary.
• Rabbi Nachman Oberlander - Among the Rebbe's shluchim in Budapest.
• Rabbi Chaim Benimini - Rabbi of the Orthodox community in Karcag, Hungary.
• Rabbi Shmuel Raskin - The Rebbe's shliach, and rabbi and leader of the Israeli community in Budapest, Hungary. Serves as a lecturer at Semmelweis University Medical School, specializing in courses on Jewish ethics. Lectures on Jewish thought, Kabbalah and Chassidus, Tanach, Gemara and poskim.