In the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Park is another absolutely awe-inspiring memorial. This is the Emanuel Tree,a weeping willow sculpture with the names of 30,000 Holocaust victims inscribed on the metal leaves. It was commissioned by Hollywood film star Tony Curtis whose father,Emanuel Schwarz,was a Hungarian Jew.
But among all the memorials,statues and parks in the names of those who perished,or those who tried to save them,there are other amazing Jewish sights in Budapest. There are the three major synagogues,for instance,including the second-largest synagogue in the world outside New York,the magnificent yellow-and-red-striped Grand Synagogue built in 1859,with both Romantic and Moorish architecture and,unusually,an organ. Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt himself played at its opening ceremony.
But despite its grandeur,locals still don't mind poking fun at themselves. On the synagogue steps are souvenir sellers,peddling T-shirts. One has a basketball player emblazoned on the front with a variation on the Nike slogan,Just Jew It,with the name Michael Jewdan instead of Jordan. Another favourite is a picture of Moses,holding a stone inscribed with the 10 commandments,with a caption that he was the first to download wisdom on his tablet.
After all,the old Jewish quarter of the town,once so deserted,is now one of the hippest bohemian areas of the city,full of smart cafes,restaurants,boutiques,street art and bars.
Yet poignancy is never far away from the smiles. Next door to the synagogue is the Hungarian Jewish Museum with a huge array of precious objects,both ceremonial and day-to-day.
Among them is a home-made menorah,or traditional lampstand,made by a poor resident out of bent spoons and napkin holders. Another is fashioned from breadcrumbs,by a destitute family keener to honour their religion than assuage their own hunger.
TRIP NOTES
Sue Williams travelled as a guest of APT
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