International Jewish Cemetery Project
International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies

BUDAPEST [Budin, Budon, Pest, Pesta, Obuda, Alt-Ofen, Kobanya

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Coat of arms of Budapest ALTERNATE�NAMES: BUDAPEST [HUN], BUDAPE�? [SLOV, CZ], BUDAPESTA [ROM], BUDAPESZT [POL]; BUDA [HUN], OFEN [GER], BUD�N [SLOV], BUDIM [CROA], BUDON; PEST [HUN], PE�? [SLOV], PE�TA [CROA]; �BUDA [HUN], ALT-OFEN [GER]; K?B�NYA. ??????????. 47�30' N, 19�05' E, Capital of Hungary.�Formed from the two cities of Buda and Pest in 1873.. 1900 Jewish population: 166,000

Budapest is the capitol of Hungary and the largest city of Hungary. In 2008, Budapest had 1,702,297 inhabitants[, down from a mid-1980s peak of 2.1 million, with an official agglomeration of 2,451,418. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the Danube with the unification on 17 November 1873, of right-bank (west) Buda and �buda (Old Buda) together with Pest on the left (east) bank. Aquincum, originally a Celtic settlement, was the direct ancestor of Budapest, becoming the Roman capitol of Lower Pannonia. Magyars arrived in the territory[ in the 9th century. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241-42. The re-established town became one of the centers of Renaissance humanist culture[ in the 15th century. Following nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule,[ development of the region entered a new age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries. It became the second capital of Austria-Hungary that dissolved in 1918. Budapest was the focal point of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919, Operation Panzerfaust in 1944, the Battle of Budapest of 1945, and the Revolution of 1956. Its World Heritage Sites include the banks of the Danube, Buda Castle Quarter, Andr�ssy Avenue, and the Millennium Underground Railway, Europe;s first. Te largest thermal water cave system in the world was discovered under Budapest in 2008.

Budapest locality information, unless otherwise indicated, was gathered from the Internet and Wikipedia in February 2009.

Budapest had 10 districts numbered I to X after the unification of the cities of Pest, Buda and �buda in 1873. In the 1930s, four new districts were numbered XI to XIV. On 1 January 1950, Budapest amalgamated with seven neighboring towns and sixteen villages increasing the districts to 22. District IV was dissolved and the number was given to the northernmost newly merged town (�jpest) organized as districts XV - XXII. Former district borders were� partly modified but the old numbering system in froce. In 1994, one of the former villages left district XX and the new district XXIII was born.

Buda is the hilly part on the west bank of the Danube.

Pest is the flat part on the east bank of the Danube.

Csepel is an island in the south between them. (Note: two additional islands form parts of District III and District XIII.)

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Districts in Budapest from Wikipedia: [February 2009]

District Neighborhoods
I. ker�let
(V�rker�let)		 Buda Castle, Castle District, Tab�n, Gell�rthegy, Krisztinav�ros, southern V�ziv�ros
II. ker�let Adyliget, Budakeszierd?, Budaliget, Csat�rka, Erzs�betliget, Erzs�bettelek, Felh�v�z, Gercse, H�rsakalja, H�rshegy, H?v�sv�lgy, K?v�r, Kurucles, Lip�tmez?, M�riaremete, Ny�k, Orsz�g�t, P�lv�lgy, Pasar�t, Pesthidegk�t-�falu, Petneh�zy-r�t, Remetekertv�ros, R�zm�l, R�zsadomb, Szeml?hegy, Sz�phalom, Sz�pilona, Sz�pv�lgy, T�r�kv�sz, �jlak, V�rhalom, northern V�ziv�ros, Z�ldm�l.
III. ker�let �buda, Aquincum, Aranyhegy, B�k�smegyer, Csillaghegy, Cs�cshegy, Filatorig�t, H�rmashat�rhegy, Kasz�sd?l?, M�ty�shegy, Mocs�rosd?l?, �budai-sziget, Remetehegy, R�maif�rd?, Solym�rv�lgy, Sz�pv�lgy, T�borhegy, Testv�rhegy, T�r�kk?, �r�mhegy, �jlak.
IV. ker�let
(�jpest)

�jpest, Megyer, K�poszt�smegyer, Sz�kesd?l?, Istv�ntelek.

Synagogue: Teleki Square synagogue, once known as the Chortkover�Kloyz [May 2013]
V. ker�let Belv�ros (in a narrow sense), Lip�tv�ros
VI. ker�let
(Ter�zv�ros)		 Ter�zv�ros
VII. ker�let
(Erzs�betv�ros)		 Erzs�betv�ros
VIII. ker�let
(J�zsefv�ros)		 J�zsefv�ros, Kerepesd?l?, Tisztvisel?telep
IX. ker�let
(Ferencv�ros)		 Ferencv�ros, Gubacsid?l?, J�zsef Attila-lak�telep
X. ker�let
(K?b�nya)		 Fels?r�kos, Gy�rd?l?, Kereszt�rid?l?, K?b�nya-Kertv�ros
XI. ker�let
(�jbuda)		 Albertfalva, Dobog�, Gazdagr�t, Gell�rthegy, Hossz�r�t, Kamaraerd?, Kelenf�ld, Kelenv�lgy, K?�rberek, L�gym�nyos, Mad�rhegy, ?rmez?, �rs�d, P�terhegy, P�singermajor, Sasad, Sashegy, Spanyolr�t, Tab�n
XII. ker�let
(Hegyvid�k)		 Budakeszierd?, Csilleb�rc, Farkasr�t, Farkasv�lgy, Istenhegy, J�noshegy, Kissv�bhegy, Krisztinav�ros, K�tv�lgy, Magas�t, M�rtonhegy, N�metv�lgy, Orb�nhegy, Sashegy, Sv�bhegy, Sz�chenyihegy, Vir�nyos.
XIII. ker�let �jlip�tv�ros, Angyalf�ld, Vizafog�, Margaret Island
XIV. ker�leti
(Zugl�)		 Als�r�kos, Herminamez?, Istv�nmez?, Kiszugl�, Nagyzugl�, R�kosfalva, T�r�k?r, City Park
XV. ker�let R�kospalota, Pest�jhely, �jpalota
XVI. ker�let M�ty�sf�ld, Sashalom, Cinkota, R�kosszentmih�ly, �rp�df�ld, Kisszentmih�ly, Ilonatelep, Pet?fikert, Nagyiccetelep, Szentgy�rgytelep, Szabads�gtelep, Huszkatelep
XVII. ker�let
(R�kosmente)		 R�koskereszt�r, R�koscsaba, R�koscsaba-�jtelep, R�kosliget, R�koshegy, R�koskert, Akad�mia�jtelep, Mad�rdomb, R�giakad�miatelep
XVIII. ker�let Pestszentl?rinc, Pestszentimre
XIX. ker�let
(Kispest)		 Kispest, Wekerletelep
XX. ker�let
(Pesterzs�bet)		 Gubacsipuszta, Kossuthfalva, Pacsirtatelep, Pesterzs�bet, Pesterzs�bet-Szab�telep
XXI. ker�let
(Csepel)		 Csepel
XXII. ker�let Budat�t�ny, Nagyt�t�ny, Budafok
XXIII. ker�let
(Soroks�r)		 Soroks�r

Hebrew website with cemetery photo. [Apr 2014]

BUDAFOK (German: Promontor; literally "Promontory near Buda") is a neighbourhood in Budapest situated in the SW part of Buda, near the Danube, and belongs to District XXII. Budafok was an independent municipality (village) before 1950 known for wine and champagne making. The cemetery within the Catholic graveyard at Temet? street 8 have graves dating back to the early 1900s and in use until the WWII. One gravestone had a small marble plate carrying the inscription 1991.

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OBUDA: �buda Jewish Cemetery: Address: BP. III. K�lso B�csi �t 369. Established: in 1922 by the �buda Jewish community and opened from the 31 year old rabbi dr. Schreiber Ignac. He was unfortunately the first Jew buried in this cemetery, because he was hit 3 days later by a car. The cemetery is used for the services today. photos [February 2009]

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CINKOTA 4731 1914 (District XVI. Szabadfold u.) The graveyard is on Szabadf�ldi Road, right next to the Budapest sign, in the corner of the local common cemetery. The small Jewish cemetery is fenced and locked. The keys are with the local council who also take care of mowing the weeds twice a year, spring and autumn. The last burial, that of Simon Mezei, took place in 1948. photos [February 2009]

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CSEPEL: (German: Tschepele; Croatian: ?epelj; Serbian: ?epelj) is a neighbourhood in Budapest identical with District XXI. Csepel officially became part of Budapest on 1 January 1950. Csepel, located at the northern end of Csepel Island in the Danube, covers one tenth of the island's area and has approximately 85,000 inhabitants. Being on an island, it is the only complete district of Budapest that is neither in Pest nor in Buda. Csepel-sziget or Csepel Island is the largest island of the River Danube in Hungary at 48�km (30�mi) long; 6-8 km (3.75-5�mi) wide. and its area comprises 257�km2 (99�sq�mi),Only the northern tip is inside the city limits.

Cemetery:� 4725� 1905 (District XXI.) The well-kept and still active cemetery at Nefelejcs street 11 still has its ancient mortuary. Keys are available at Nefelecs street 16. [February 2009]

DOHANY utca Jewish Cemetery (mass graves from World War II). Address: VIIth district Budapest, Dohany u. 2/ Phone: 342-2353 in Pest.

Dohani Street Main Synagogue Cemetery: In the courtyard of the Great Synagogue of Budapest on Duhani Street is a Holocaust period cemetery. Source: Itamar Danziger This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [October 2001]

UPDATE:Interior of the Doh�ny Street Great Synagogue in Budapest. This synagogue, dating from the 1850s, is the largest in Europe, and it is where my parents were married. It belonged formerly to the Neolog movement in Hungarian Judaism, roughly equivalent to Conservative Judaism in North America. It has recently been restored with the help of funds raised by the actor Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz), whose father was from Mateszalka in Szabolcs County. It is located right in the centre of Budapest, with a number of other synagogues and Jewish institutions nearby, including some small kosher stores. Scroll down for a photo of the Dohany Synagogue's exterior. The part on the left houses the Jewish Museum:

UPDATE: Address: BP. VII. Doh�n y u. 2� tel.: 342-2353.This small cemetery belongs to the largest Jewish synagogue of Europe.�Nazi authorities gave over the area of the synagogue, 0.3 square km, to the Jews of Budapest, who had no protection or document from neutral European embassies. As of December 10, all these 55,000 plus Jews (mostly children, women, and the elderly) were forced to live in a ghetto of288 emptied buildings with 4513 flats ( 7565 rooms). 70,000� were there in January 1945 and� were liberated by the Russian Red Army on January 18, 1945. 55,000 survived the war. The frozen winter and the war blocked transport of the dead to the central Jewish cemetery so bodies simply were put in to the wall of the synagogue or the streets. More than 10,0000 died in 40 days. 2,000 people with gravestones rest in the cemetery. A memorial to� 600,000 Holocaust victims is in the back garden as well as one to Raoul Wallenberg.[February 2009]

Dohani Street Main Synagogue Cemetery:

In the courtyard of the Great Synagogue of Budapest on Duhani Street is a Holocaust period cemetery. Source: Itamar Danziger This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [October 2001]

UPDATE:Interior of the Doh�ny Street Great Synagogue in Budapest. This synagogue, dating from the 1850s, is the largest in Europe, and it is where my parents were married. It belonged formerly to the Neolog movement in Hungarian Judaism, roughly equivalent to Conservative Judaism in North America. It has recently been restored with the help of funds raised by the actor Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz), whose father was from Mateszalka in Szabolcs County. It is located right in the centre of Budapest, with a number of other synagogues and Jewish institutions nearby, including some small kosher stores. Scroll down for a photo of the Dohany Synagogue's exterior. The part on the left houses the Jewish Museum:

UPDATE: Address: BP. VII. Doh�n y u. 2� tel.: 342-2353.This small cemetery belongs to the largest Jewish synagogue of Europe.�Nazi authorities gave over the area of the synagogue, 0.3 square km, to the Jews of Budapest, who had no protection or document from neutral European embassies. As of December 10, all these 55,000 plus Jews (mostly children, women, and the elderly) were forced to live in a ghetto of288 emptied buildings with 4513 flats ( 7565 rooms). 70,000� were there in January 1945 and� were liberated by the Russian Red Army on January 18, 1945. 55,000 survived the war. The frozen winter and the war blocked transport of the dead to the central Jewish cemetery so bodies simply were put in to the wall of the synagogue or the streets. More than 10,0000 died in 40 days. 2,000 people with gravestones rest in the cemetery. A memorial to� 600,000 Holocaust victims is in the back garden as well as one to Raoul Wallenberg.[February 2009]

Cemetery: 4728 1914 (District XVII. Napkelet koz (=u.)

[UPDATE] Outstanding collection of photographs of Doh�ny Street Great Synagogue and memorials/gravestones , courtesy of This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.[July 2015]

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FARKASRET: photos

Farkasret Jewish Cemetery (Neolog). Address: XIIth district Budapest, Erdi �t 9. Phone: 249-2671. Attendant: Ferenc Egyed. Cost of maintenance can be payed in the office on the spot. Open: 8a.m. - 4p.m., during the winter 8a.m. - 3p.m., Saturday and on Jewish Holidays closed. Rabbis and cantors who worked in Buda are buried here.

(XII) US Commission No. 000026
Alternate names: Farkasret in Hungarian. Cemetery Address: XII.ker. Erdiu.9. Town population is over 100,000, with over 10,000 Jews.

  • Local: XII. keruleh Polgarmesteri Hivatal of BP.XII. Boszornenyi ut 23/25 Ph: 1551244 and Budapesti Zsido Hitkozseg of Budai Korzet Budapest, II. Frankel Leo u.49 Ph: 1158230. Regional: MAZSIHISZ of Sip U.12, H-1075, Budapest Phone: (011-361) 122-6475/78, Budapesti Izrae Uta Hitkozseg of Budapest, VII. Sip u. 12 Ph: 1 421335 and Chevra Kadisa of Budapest, VII. Sip utca 12. Ph: 1 227246.
  • Caretaker with key: Egyed Ferenc. The pre-WWII Jewish population (census) was 185,000.

Living here were Frommer Rudolf, Vago Laszlo, Dr. Ferenczy Sandor, Krupieci Bauer Gyula, Lanczos Kornel, Palagyi Lajos, and Farkas Sandor. The Jewish cemetery was established in 1885, last known burial was 1993. [survey date 1993] Some Tzadakkim and other noteworthy Jews buried in the cemetery are Rabbis Goldberg Rafael, Geyer Artur, Heller Bernat and Kiss Arnold, and Benoschofsky Imre. The Jewish community was entire country's Hasidic Orthodox, Sephardic Orthodox, Conservative, and Progressive/Reform. The suburban hillside location is part of a municipal cemetery and has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, the site is open with permission with a masonry wall and locked gate. Pre- and post-WWII size of cemetery is 2.80 hectares.

500-5000 gravestones, less than 25% are toppled or broken. Special sections exist for children and important/ famous. The oldest known gravestone dates from 1897. There 19th-20th centuries marble, granite, limestone and sandstone flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, flat stones with carved relief decoration, sculpted monuments or multi-stone monuments have Hebrew, German and Hungarian inscriptions. Some have traces of painting on their surfaces, iron decorations or lettering and portraits on stones. The cemetery contains special memorial monuments to Holocaust victims and Jewish soldiers, but no mass graves. The pre-burial house has a tahara (table), a catafalque, and wall inscriptions. The local Jewish community owns the property. Adjacent properties are cemeteries and waste dumps. Boundaries are unchanged since 1939. The cemetery was not vandalized in the last ten years. Jewish individuals and groups within Hungary and abroad regularly clean stones and clear vegetation. Budap Jewish Congregation pays a regular caretaker. Budai Korzet. Weather erosion and vegetation are moderate threats.

Peter Wirth completed survey on 12/10/93 using: M.ZS.L.; Orban Ferenc: Magyarorszag Zsido emlekei; and Registers of burials (from 1896). Other documents were inaccessible. He visited on 11/10/93. Interviewed were Egyed Ferencne on 11/10/93 at at the cemetery and Reich Janos on 12/10/93 at on the phone.

UPDATE: My parents arrived 5/6/2006 to show their grandsons where their great-grandparents were buried as they have a few times before. They were shocked to find out that the gravestone vanished and a new one appeared. Source: Eytan Rado, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [June 2006]

KEREPESI: Address: BP. VIII. Salg�tarj�ni �t. (Salgotarjani Street) "The Kerepesi cemetery, opened in 1874, was the Jewish section of the city's monumental cemetery, where many national heroes, politicians, and cultural figures were buried. The Jewish cemetery is a separate part of the 55 hectares of The New Public Cemetery ( �j K�ztemeto) opened in 1847. The Salg�tarj�ni �t entrance was built like the entrance of a castle from designs by the famous architect, Lajta B�la, in 1908. The entrance building includes function rooms and a caretaker's flat . Until recently, the Kerepesi Jewish cemetery was abandoned and totally overgrown despite its many magnificent tombs. From the entrance was wild vegetation. The former pre-burial house decorated with Oriental-Mesopotamian reliefs is abandoned with a collapsed roof. The last burials were in the 1950s. Recently, part of it has been cleared of brush, freeing some of the most important tombs -- tombs of industrial magnates, Jewish noblemen, and other prominent figures, including the poet Jozsef Kis. Bela Lajta, one of Hungary's most noted architects, who designed more than half a dozen tombs in the Kerepesi cemetery." source: http://www.jewishroutes.com/topdestinations/features/379.html

Kerepesi ut Jewish Cemetery (Neolog)� Address: Budapest, VIIIth district. Salgotarjani ut. Phone: 314-1269/ Attendant: Borb�la Baros.�The cemetery was founded in 1874. It is eternal home to many representatives of the pre-war banking and industrial aristocracy, as well as to outstanding personalities of the contemporary cultural life of Budapest.

KISPEST: Cemetery: 4727 1908 (District XIX. Temeto" u. 6). The still active cemetery is located at New Cemetery Road 1 (Cemetery Street 6) as part of the Kispest cemetery. The keys are with the guard. Grass is mowed, but old graves are overgrown with weeds. The Holocaust Memorial is at the cemetery entrance with some more recent graves. photos [February 2009]

KISSZENTMIHALY: (District XV.) Kisszentmih�ly cemetery is at B�rtfa Street 27 and in some places neighbouring Rozsos Street, accessible from Cemetery Street. Located at the end of the old Christian cemetery, it is not fenced, but a car track runs through the neglected small cemetery at the right end of which the Jewish one is located. Almost the entire cemetery is overgrown with weeds and trees. Only the Jewish part is cleaned, though some of the graves are knocked over and dirty. The outer fence is missing too. The last funeral took place probably in 1943. One grave commemorates to the dead of Auschwitz. photos [February 2009]

MA'TYA'SFOLD

Cemetery: 4731 1912 Nagyiccetelep (District XVI. Pesti hatar u.) M�ty�sf�ld� cemetery is located on Pest Hat�r Road at the corner of Proh�szka Ottok�r street. Some years ago the religious community moved the graves to the Kozma Street cemetery. Also was the Sashalm cemetery. [February 2009]

NAGYTE'TE'NY

(District (XXII. Szentha'romsa'g u. 40), Nagyt�t�ny (District� XXII.) On Kolt�i Anna Street, the oldest gravestone dates from 1750. This cemetery, presumably closed at the beginning of the 1900s, is entirely walled. Most graves have Hebrew inscriptions, some German. Some gravestones in the center are knocked over. The Orthodox prayerhouse today is a book storage.

US Commission No. 000024

Budapest (XXII), called Nagyteteny in Hung. and Teteny. Cemetery: Angeli Utca. Local: Polgarmesteri Hivatal of Budapest XXII Varoshaz ter 11 Ph: 226 6511.

  • Regional: MAZSIHISZ of Sip U.12, H-1075, Budapest Phone: (011-361) 122-6475/78.
  • Interested: Polgari Kor of Nagyteteny. The pre-WWII Jewish population (census) was 159.

Living here were Rabbis Tauber Salamon, Ungar Rezso, Kammer Vilmos, and Scherman Odolf. The last known Sefardic, Orthodox, or Neolog Jews Jewish burial was 1949. The flat isolated surburban site has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all via a broken masonry wall and unlocked gate. Pre- and post-WWII size of cemetery is 0.14 hectares.

100-500 gravestones, 1-20 not in original location with less than 25% toppled or broken, date from 1880-20th century. The marble, limestone and sandstone finely smoothed and inscribed stones or multi-stone monuments have Hebrew and Hungarian inscriptions. Some have traces of painting on their surfaces. There is a pre-burial house but no known mass graves. The national Jewish community owns the cemetery. Adjacent properties are agricultural and residential. Boundaries are unchanged since 1939. The cemetery was not vandalized in the last ten years. Jewish groups within Hungary cleared vegetation in 1991 but no care now. Security and vandalism are serious threats; vegetation is moderate.

Peter Tamas completed survey on 10/25/91 using: M.Zs.L. He visited site in August 1991.

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OBUDA: four cemeteries: One was on Laktanya street at the corner of K? street. (1737 and 1870. Corner of Laborc street and B�csi Road in use until 1922. The graves were moved to the then opened and still operating cemetery on B�csi Road. Only the mortuary remains of the second cemetery.The fourth one, P�lv�lgyi cemetery or Sz�pv�lgy�roki Israelite Cemetery, was in use between 1820 and 1938.� photo: �buda synagogue and its surroundings in 1986. District 3 Jewish cemetery was founded in 1922 with simple gravestones mostly, although a few ornamental tombstones; and some WW2 memorials are more significant. The cemetery is overgrown by vegetation. photos [February 2009]

Obuda Jewish Cemetery (Neolog). Address: IIIrd district Budapest, Kulso Becsi ut. 369. Phone: 250-6060. This Jewish cemetery was established in 1922. The deceased from the earlier Obuda cemeteries (no longer in use) were reburied here.

GRANATOS UTCA Jewish Cemetery: (Orthodox). Address: Xth district Budapest, Granatos u. 12. Phone: 351-0524 photos(Orthodox) Jewish Cemetery on Granatos Street, Buda. Address: BP. X. Harangl�b-Csucsor utca (small hidden road nearby the Kozma utca� cemetery). Caretaker Tel: Taskovits Istv�n 30-2583930.Difficult to find, the Granatos utca Orthodox Jewish cemetery, so look for the small bush-look road, Harangl�b and following Csucsor utca (road).� The cemetery was open edin 1922, the only Orthodox cemetery near, but separated from Neology Kozma utca Jewish cemetery. Entrance through the Communiity House.� The 5,1 hectares hold approximately 5300 gravestones. The caretaker has a hand-drawn map and old reigstry book. The ceremonial hall is separated for men and women with preparation rooms, tahara, and hot water.

  • US Commission No. 000025: Alternate names: Kobanya in Hungarian. Budapest X. Address: Granatos utca 12. Town population is over 100,000, with over 10,000 Jews.
  • Town: Kerulet Kobanya Polgarmesten Hivatal of 1102 Szent Lassszlo ter 29 Ph: 157 3333.
  • Local: see above and Budapesti Orthodox Hitkozseg, of Dob u.35, H-1075 Budapest Phone: (011-361) 132-4333.
  • Regional: Budapesti Orthodox Hitkozseg.

The pre-WWII Jewish population (census) was 185,000. The Jewish cemetery was established in 1921. Rabbis Czitron, Schuck, and Weiss are buried here. The last known Jewish burial was 1993 [survey done in 1993]. The Hasidic Orthodox community used this cemetery. The flat suburban land is separate but near other cemeteries and has Jewish symbols on gate or wall. Reached by turning directly off a public road, the site is open to all, surrounded by a fence with a locked gate. Keyholder: Telkes Attila (on-site) Ph: 1277326. Pre- and post-WWII size of cemetery is 5.10 hectares

With more than 5,000 gravestones. 1-20 are not in original location and few are toppled or broken. Special sections exist for men, women, rabbis and Cohanim. The oldest known gravestone dates from 1921. The marble, granite, limestone and sandstone flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, flat stones with carved relief decoration or double tombstones have Hebrew inscriptions. The cemetery contains special memorial monuments to Holocaust victims, but no mass graves. A pre-burial house has a tahara (a table), a catafalque, and wall inscriptions. The local Jewish community owns the property. Adjacent properties are commercial or industrial. Boundaries are unchanged since 1939. The cemetery was not vandalized in the last ten years. There has been cleaned stones, cleared vegetation, and fixed wall and gate by Jewish individuals within Hungary and abroad. Maintenance is continuous by a regular caretaker paid by the Jewish Congregation of Budapesti Orthodox. Weather erosion is moderate threat.

Peter Wirth completed survey on 2/9/93 using: M.Zs.L.; Orban: magyarorszag Zsido Emlekei. Other documents exist but not used because they are not accessible. He visited site on 01/09/93. He interviewed for Telkes Attila on 01/09/93. I visited Ortodox Temeto (Orthodox Jewish Cemetery) on Granatos Street, adjacent to the Rakoskereszturi Cemetery, the large Jewish Cemetery that is out towards the Budapest city limits, quite distant from downtown.

UPDATE: The Orthodox Cemetery is up a dirt road and takes some searching to find. A young couple are the caretakers of the cemetery; they are very helpful and read Hebrew (necessary because all the inscriptions on all the headstones are totally in Hebrew) but speak virtually only Hungarian, or maybe a little bit of German, which is the "lingua franca" of Hungary. The cemetery is in good condition. However, the same really cannot be said for the cemetery's records. All the information about the burials is recorded in old ledger books, with many torn pages, and on loose file cards which may be stored on an open shelf; I saw them being read but not being put away. Source: David Linden; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

My wife, two sisters-in-law, and I traveled to Budapest in July 1991 to visit the graves of their family members. We finally found the Orthodox cemetery in Buda, where apparently most of the Orthodox of Budapest were buried from about 1860/70 until the new Orthodox cemetery on Granatos utca was opened about 1922. This cemetery is located at 55 XII, Csorsz utca, a steep and narrow street in a residential area of Buda. According to the book "Jewish Budapest" 1999 Central European University Press, this cemetery is what remains of a much larger cemetery given by the municipality to the Jewish community in the 1880s. The first funeral was held in 1890. The cemetery was gradually liquidated when the buildings in lower Csorsz utca were erected and what we see now is a small remainder of this once large cemetery. It may be that some graves from the former cemetery were transferred. The cemetery is about the size of a European apartment building lot, flanked on one side by a small school and on the other side by an apartment block. There is a stone wall in front, so that the cemetery is not recognizable driving by, only when one stands close to the wall. When we were there, the manager of the kosher restaurant "Hannah" (Dob utca 35, Budapest) in back of the Kazinczy utca synagogue had the key. He met us at the cemetery and helped us find most of the graves. A flight of steps leads down to the gate and a small house where some of the records are kept. The cemetery is divided in two by a cement walk; men are buried on the right and women on the left. Women's graves are often opposite those of their husbands. There are about six to eight rows on each side of the walk. Many of the stones are worn out by old age and colors are faded. There is high grass in many areas; and some stones are covered with thistles, making it rather difficult to read many of the stones. I noticed that on some of the stones the lettering had been redone, mostly with ink. Some of the stones had sunk deep in to the ground. At the far end of the cemetery, a number of stones were more or less tilted or uprooted. Mostly roots of some fruit trees caused this. At the time of my visit, I estimated about 500 to 700 graves. I do not know how old this cemetery is, but possibly dating from 1800. This cemetery was in use until about 1921/25, when the new Orthodox cemetery in Granatos utca was opened. However, there have been burials well into the 1940s, probably for families who had family plots or who owned lots. The most imposing stone is that of Rabbi Jacob "Koppel" Reich, who was the principal Orthodox Rabbi in Budapest between 1889 and 1929. Based on a report from an earlier visit (1960s ?), this stone at one time was covered with a canopy-like construction, but this was not the case at the time of our visit. Also see Avotaynu, Spring 1993. Source: Arthur Levi, 435 Porter Lake Drive, Longmeadow MA 01106, Phone: 413-781-2089, Fax: 413-781-2090 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

UPDATE: Our community -- children, families and teachers -- helped restore a Jewish cemetery in the nearby suburb, Paty. In this cemetery, fully destroyed in the Holocaust, only one tomb could be saved but the rest of the cemetery cleaned and marked. Presently, we have plans to restore another small cemetery in Budakeszi, another suburb, which seems to date back to the 17th century. It has about 30-40 tombs, some of them broken, mostly marble, with Hebrew letters. We are organizing professional a volunteer to help with the reconstruction. Source: Catherine Engel; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Lauder Javne Jewish Community School, a Jewish day school in Budapest, Hungary (They hope to have the information by the end of the school year 1997-98) Also see "Memorial Museum of Hungarian Speaking Jewry" in Israel at http://www.hjm.org.il/

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PESTSZENTLO"RINC (PESTLORINC)

Cemetery: 4726 1912 (District XVIII. Sallai imre u. 113). The neglected cemetery at Salla street 113, 100 metres from �ll?i Road is fenced, but the fence has holes. Most of the gravestones have been knocked over, and the marble plates have been stolen.

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PESTSZENTERZSE'BET: Pesterzs�bet is the 20th district in the southern part of the capital and is the 17th biggest district in the city, a mostly suburban area with approximately 70,000 residents. website in Hungarian. [February 2009]

Two separate Jewish cemeteries are located within the general cemetery. The old one (begun 1920) closed down in 1945 so only relatives were allowed to continue burials there. In the old cemetery is memorial plaque for the ancient cemetery of Pesterzs�bet whose dead have been moved to the new location.The newer, smaller cemetery contains about 30 post-war graves and a Holocaust memorial plaque for the 4500 WWII victims from Pesterzs�bet. The general cemetery is on Cemetery row, and in its centre part we find the Jewish cemetery. The keys are available from the guard at the gate.

TEMETO: Municipal Cemetery: 4726 1903 (District XXII. Kinizsi ulica. (street)� 6-Temeto" u., between the 7th and 8th section of the municipal cemetery.

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RAKOSKERESZTUR:

Jewish cemetery: This Orthodox cemetery outside has a keeper. The headstones are weathered. The sections are for rabbis and for children. Source wishes to remain anonymous. [May 2004]

New Public Cemetery (R�koskereszt�r Cemetery): 10 pictures. The largest burial ground in Budapest, the Kozma street New Cemetery was opened in 1886. Its main building, which was constructed in 1903, has a 26-meter-high bell tower. In addition to its rich vegetation and wide avenues, the District 9 cemetery is famous for plot 301, where the martyrs of the 1956 revolution were buried. Today, an enormous modern monument by Gy�rgyJov�novics marks their graves.

Kozma Street Cemetery: Opened in 1891 by the Neolog (Reform) Jewish community of Budapest. this is the largest Jewish cemetery of Budapest as well as one of the biggest of Europe, the burial place of more than 300,000 people and still serves the Hungarian Jewish community, which is the third largest in Europe. The green tile-clad mausoleum of the Schmidl family by �d�n Lechner and Bela Lajta, drawing its inspiration form Hungarian folk art, is considered an important example of Magyar-Jewish architecutral style, as is the domes cemetery chapel by Bela Lajta. Imre Nagy, the Prime Minister of Hungary murdered by the Soviets in 1956 was buried in an unmarked grave in the neighbouring (non-Jewish) area of the Kozma Street Cemetery. He was disinterred and reburied in 1989.

The Dohany St. Synagogue, Dohany utca 4-6, was built in 1859. Source: Freedman, Warren. World Guide for the Jewish Traveler. NY: E.P. Dutton Inc, 1984.

Kozma Street Jewish Cemetery: The biggest cemetery of Budapest, it is divided in two parts, a Jewish and a Christian cemetery. Located at Komza Utca 6 and dating from 1700, this is the resting-place of 600,000 Hungarian Jews. A memorial "To the Unnamed Martyrs, 1942-45" is in the cemetery behind the Jewish Museum (near the Dohany Street Synagogue). Here, 2,000 Jews, who died in the ghetto, are buried in a mass grave. Martyrs' Memorial contains the names of more than 10,000 Budapest Jews who perished in the Nazi occupation. Well-known for its unusual monuments and mausoleums and unusual for a Jewish cemetery are the sculpted human figures and elaborate mausoleums in a variety of styles, most notably several art nouveau or Jugendstil mausoleums.

Rakoskeresztur (Kozma utca) Jewish Cemetery (Neolog) Address: Xth district Budapest, Kozma utca 6. Phone: 262-4687, 265-2458. This Jewish cemetery is the largest of its kind in Hungary. It was opened in 1893, next to the New Public Cemetery (Uj koztemeto). The memorial to the 600 000 Hungarian victims of the Holocaust is located in this cemetery. The graves, mausoleums and shrines are excellent imprints of the Jewish culture and the Hungarian Secession (Art Nouveau), the architecture of the turn of the XIXth, XXth century. The most well-known shrine is the Schmidl tomb, made for the family of Sandor Schmidl in 1903. Two famous architects of the time, Bela Lajta and Odon Lechner designed this beautiful tomb using Zsolnay ceramics.

R�koskereszt�r Public Cemetery: AKA Kozma Street Jewish Cemetery: Address: BP. District X. Kozma u. 6. Tel: 262-4687. The Jewish community received the cemetery's large area from the city administration�in 1868 for their portion of the R�koskereszt�r Public Cemetery. The cemetery was designed by architect Freud Vilmos 1891. Between 1905 and 1910, a geat number of Jews were exhumed and transported in this new cemetery by the Pest Chevra Kadisha. The white entrance� forms part of a major building complex with function rooms, central preparation halls, offices, and ceremonial halls separated for men and women. During the past decades, this cemetery become also the central cemetery of the Jewish inhabitants of Budapest. The inside wall of the entrance building memorializes 10,000 Jewish Hungarian soldiers, who died during WWI. The military monument of the volunteer soldiers of the Revolution of 1849 was design by Lajta B�la.� The Hungarian Holocaust memorial by Hungarian Olympic Gold Medalist and architect Haj�s Alfr�d. The large white walls and column hold 2000 names of all of the victims (some hand-written to complete the list) of the Klauz�l t�r ghetto from the last months of WWII, who are buried here. The Monument to the Unknown Jewish Forced Laborer is here. excellent photos [February 2009]

[UPDATE]

Part 1:  https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2019/05/16/hungary-the-uphill-battle/

Part 2: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2019/05/21/hungary-the-uphill-battle-part-2/

RA'KOSCSABA: R�koscsaba is a former town in Hungary now part of District XVII of Budapest. R�koscsaba was united with Budapest on January 1, 1950. Cemetery: 4729 1917 (District XVII. Gocsej u.)� The cemetery is located on G�csej Road. The cemetery''s name is on a sign. Completey cleared in 2003, not one grave could be detected. Currently again inaccessible, the old stone wall is more or less intact. Nearby is the Christian cemetery unused since 1950. The graves are scattered, woods overgrown, and seemingly, a shelter for the homeless.

RA'KOSLIGET: R�kosliget, a part of the 17th district of Budapest since January 1, 1950, is known to locals as 'Liget', n 1896 The Workmen's Insurance Society (Munk�sbiztos�t� P�nzt�r) started to build homes for workmen in an unpopulated neighbourhood of R�koskereszt�r. Unable to finance the construction, the homes eventually were bought by middle-class families mainly merchants, civil servants, and craftsmen. The growing settlement became independent of R�koskereszt�r in 1907. In 1930 the population of 3112 inhabitants was over 100 craftsmen. Its main street that comes from R�koskereszt�r called Ferihegyi street divides into two parts indicated by the numbering of the surrounding streets: on the left are streets identified by Roman odd numbers (I., III., V., etc. utca) and on the right the even numbered streets (II., IV., etc. utca). A common local witticism is to call these streets "avenues" referring to the similar street numbering of New York, for example: V. utca = Fifth Avenue.

Cemetery: 4729 1916 (District XVII. Ba'rtfai u.) The cemetery is located on private ground at the end of B�rtfai street, after Inda street. The cemetery lies between the former TSZ and the former mine. The cemetery itself belongs to the religious community, but the path leading to it is the TSZ'' property. J�nos Balogh lives in the former mortuary, he diligently removes weeds and cuts out trees on a regular basis. He builds the wooden fence himself. The area is inaccessible except if accompanied by Mr Balogh due to the dogs on the property. The house has neither running water nor electricity or gas. Relatives don''t visit the small cemetery that is said to have 86 graves. There is a tiny WWII stone plate. Most of the graves are in good condition thanks to Mr Balogh, though the older stones are not polished. According to Mr Balogh the cemetery has not been in use since 1947. Ever his mother moved there in 1957 the cemetery has been attended to.

RA'KOSPALOTA: In the early Middle Ages, six villages existed in the northern part of the R�kos plain. About 1200 CE, a church was built on the little hill next to the Szilas brook, a forerunner of the present Catholic chapel. First named Ny�r (Birch) later it became known as Palota (Palace) after the castle of the landowner. The little community had very hard times in the 16th-17th centuries when Buda was under Turkish occupation. After the liberation of Buda in 1696, R�kospalota became one of the most prosperous villages in the region. Market gardening and agriculture flourished, and two baroque churches were built: Calvinist (demolished at the beginning of the 20th century) and a little Catholic chapel in 1735 on the foundation of the ancient village church. R�kospalota, is a neighbourhood in Budapest that with Pest�jhely and �jpalota comprise District XV. One of the most interesting parts of the district is M�V-telep, a suburb built by the Hungarian State Railways (M�V) in the early 1900s for railwaymen. Big, uniform, art deco blocks of flats were created. Two churches and a market hall served the close, tight-knit community. Unfortunately, the new M3 freeway cut the area into two parts in the 1980s. Most of the district is a pleasant, leafy suburb with narrow streets. The F? utca (Main Street) with the tramway has a typical market-town appearance since the turn-of-the-century. In Juhos utca (Sheep Street) and Attila utca are still some old peasant houses. In 1846 the first railway line (Pest-V�c) reached R�kospalota, and the Forest of Palota became a popular spot with restaurants and places of entertainment. Next to the station, a new suburb grew with nice villas for the rich citizens of Pest. In the second part of the 19th century, Palota was no longer fashionable. Later, the forest was cut down. This neighbourhood still some derelict, but beautiful old homes. From the 1890s, the spread of Budapest reached the village. The council sold the fields for new suburbs. The residents of �jfalu (New Village), Benk?-telep, Kov�csi-telep and Kertv�ros (Garden Town) were lower middle class people and workers from Budapest. These new settlements have a regular grid layout and pleasant houses with gardens. The old peasant village became known as �regfalu (Old Village). A sumptuous Gothic Revival cathedral, Lutheran Church, Moorish Synagoge, a new big Calvinist church and a Town Hall marked the wealth of the town but there were serious social tensions between the new and the old residents. The peasant farmers of �regfalu kept their rich folk traditions, religion and sense of identity until the 1950s.The Register of National Monuments lists four buildings from R�kospalota: Old Catholic Chapel (1735), Old Museum (Classic Revival, 19th century), Liva-malom (mill on the Szilas brook, 18th to 19th centuries) and Girl's College (early 20th century). R�kospalota became a town in 1923 and part of Great-Budapest in 1950.

Cemetery: 4734 1908 (District XV. Szentmiha'lyi u.): The cemetery on Szentmih�lyi Road behind the large general cemetery. An unnamed street next to the general cemetery leads to the Jewish cemetery. In 2005, with the help of the �jpest Jewish Community, the Mayor''s office of the 15th district and the twin city, one of Berlin''s districts, the ancient cemetery was fenced, trees and weeds removed, even though most of the knocked over graves are on the ground and partly overgrown. The last gravestone dates from 1962, but some are from 1950, i.e. local Jews had burials after the war. Keys are available at the flower shop in the corner of the cemetery.

RA'KOSSZENTMIHA'LY/Kisszentmiha'ly

Cemetery: 4732 1910 (District XVI. Rozsos u.)

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  • BOOK: http://www.osi.hu/ceupress/books/Jewish%20Budapest.htm: Jewish Budapest -- Memories, Rites, History. Edited by Geza Komoroczy. Centre for Jewish Studies, E�tv�s L�r�nd University, Budapest, and Hungarian Academy of Sciences with Kinga Frojimovics, Viktoria Pusztai, and Andrea Strbik. 1998. 520 pages. 963-9116-38-6 cloth $69.95 /�45.00. 963-9116-37-8 paperback $26.95 /�16.95

BOOK: http://www.geocities.com/winter_peter_4/data.html?search=battonya provides the city, local authority, mayor, address, telephone, fax and county. A new wing of the Dohany Street Synagogue has a "Temple of Heroes" memorial to the more than 10,000 Jews who died fighting for Hungary in WWII. A restored synagogue at 26 Tancsics Street in the Castle Hill district of Budapest contains the remains of an ancient synagogue (17th century) with tombstones found nearby dating from as early as 1268. Source: Freedman, Warren. World Guide for the Jewish Traveler. NY: E.P. Dutton Inc, 1984.

BOOK: Die juedischen Friedhoefe Ofens. Kaufmann, David, 1852-1899 Breslau: 1896. 84-90 p. 21 cm. Detached from Monatsschrift fuer Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judentums, Jahrg. 40. At the Leo Baeck Institute: ID # GT 3247.5 B8 K3

BOOK: jabbz zsid� sirk"vek Bud rol a T"r"k h�dols g kor b�l (Additional tombstones in Buda from the Turkish occupation period), by A. Scheiber. Budapest, 1963. 10 pages, Hungarian. 2�63B2070. Notes: 18 tombstones (not complete), 1539-1657, index of personal names.

BOOK: Tagger, Mathilde. Printed Books on Jewish cemeteries in the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem: an annotated bibliography. Jerusalem: The Israel Genealogical Society, 1997.

(Jewish tombstones in Buda from Turkish times), by A. Scheiber. Kotetebol, 1958. Pages 501-518, Hungarian. S58B1227. Notes: 21 tombstones (many not complete), 1278, 1576- 1679.

 

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