For centuries until World War II, Hungarian Jews had been well-assimilated into secular society. On the eve of the Holocaust, there were approximately 800,000 Hungarian Jews. Jewish professionals represented 25 percent of the country’s doctors, lawyers, engineers, writers, musicians, and journalists. Over the years, Hungarian-Jewish athletes won Olympic medals, and scientists earned Nobel prizes in addition to other global accolades.
Then came the Holocaust, which nearly decimated Jewish life. Over the course of eight weeks in 1944, the majority of the Hungarian-Jewish population was deported to concentration camps, and over 425,000 people sent to Auschwitz. Approximately 600,000 Hungarian Jews perished during the Holocaust. World War II was followed by decades of communism where religious observance was entirely suppressed. With the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain, Jewish life reemerged and reestablished itself for the first time in half a century.
In 1994, The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee established JCC Budapest, popularly known as Bálint Ház due to the generosity of the Balint family of London. Our opening enabled Hungarian Jews to celebrate Jewish cultural life again and soon the community would flourish once more.
Today, Budapest continues to tear down walls. Hungary is home to between 100,000 and 120,000 people with Jewish ancestry – making our community the largest Jewish population in Central and Eastern Europe and one of the most historically influential Jewish cultures in the world.
The JCC Budapest – Bálint Ház lies at the center of that story of rebirth. JCC programs provide foundational instruction about Jewish values, culture, and religious practice in a secular, inclusive, and safe environment.
As of the April 1st, 2022, JCC Budapest has officially become an independent NGO. The JCC established an international board, advisory board, and Friends Association where Hungarian and American donors share the responsibility to continue building a Jewish future in Central Europe. 2024 was a big year for JCC Budapest too. We established a 501c3 called “Friends of JCC Budapest” and celebrated our 30th anniversary.
Still, there are thousands of Jews in Budapest who have not been ready to emerge out of the shadows to embrace and celebrate their Jewish roots.
Help us welcome them in, as they find their own Jewish path to becoming proud members of the global Jewish community.
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