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The splendid Dohany utca Synagogue ( Dohany utcai Zsinagoga ; Mon-Thurs 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-3pm, Sun 10am-2pm; 400Ft) is one of the landmarks of Pest. Europe's largest synagogue and the second biggest in the world after the Temple Emmanuel in New York, it can hold 3000 worshippers of the Neolog community - a Hungarian denomination combining elements of Reform and Orthodox Judaism. Its design epitomizes the Byzantine-Moorish style that was popular in the 1850s, and the colours of its brickwork (yellow, red and blue) are those of Budapest's coat of arms. In the 1990s the synagogue was restored at a cost of over $40 million, funded by the Hungarian government and the Hungarian-Jewish diaspora, notably the Emmanuel Foundation, fronted by the actor Tony Curtis, born of 1920s emigrants. Having admired its gilded onion-domed towers while waiting to pass through a security check, you can use the time queuing for tickets to decide if you want an audioguide (500Ft) or a guided tour (daily except Sat 10.30am-3.30pm; 1900Ft including admission) - though neither adds much to the experience. The magnificent interior of the synagogue is by Frigyes Feszl, the architect of the Vigado, and its layout reflects its Neolog identity, with the bemah , or Ark of the Torah, at one end in the Reform fashion, but men and women seated apart, according to Orthodox tradition. The ceiling is decorated with arabesques and Stars of David, the balconies surmounted by gilded arches and the floor inset with eight-pointed stars. On Jewish festivals it is filled to the rafters with Jews from all over Hungary. At other times, the hall is used for concerts of classical or klezmer music, as advertised outside. Alongside is a courtyard full of simple headstones, marking the mass grave of 2281 Jews who died here during the winter of 1944, and a remnant of the brick wall that enclosed the ghetto, with a plaque commemorating its liberation by the Red Army. Behind looms the cuboid, domed Heroes' Temple , erected in honour of the 10,000 Jewish soldiers who died fighting for Hungary during World War I, which serves as an everyday synagogue and is not open to tourists. To the left of the main entrance and up the stairs is the Jewish Museum ( Zsido Muzeum ). Notice a relief of Tivadar (Theodor) Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, who was born and taught on this spot. In the foyer is a gravestone from the third century AD - proof that there were Jews in Hungary six hundred years before the Magyars arrived. The first three rooms are devoted to Jewish festivals, with beautifully crafted objects such as Sabbath lamps and Seder bowls, while the final one covers the Holocaust, with chilling photos and examples of anti-Semitic propaganda. Oddly, the museum says nothing about the huge contribution that Jews have made to Hungarian society, in every field from medicine to poetry. Upon leaving, turn the corner onto Wesselenyi utca and enter the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Garden , named after the Swedish diplomat who saved 20,000 Budapest Jews by lodging them in safe houses or plucking them from trains bound for Auschwitz. The park's centrepiece is a Holocaust Memorial shaped like a weeping willow, each leaf engraved with the names of a family killed by the Nazis. Also within the grounds is the Goldmark Hall , named after Karoly Goldmark, the composer of the opera The Queen of Sheba . Walking tours of the quarter (daily except Sat noon & 3pm; 1600Ft; tel 1/317 2754 for tickets and information) reveal local colour and historical details you might otherwise miss; you can sign up at the main Synagogue.
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