Ministers Visit Historic Shul

A ceremony was recently held at Hungary’s Obuda Synagogue, with the unveiling of plaques commemorating those who have perished.

The Obuda Synagogue was just recently handed over to Chabad, and has been beautifully renovated with the help of, among many others, Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, and is now run by the energetic Rabbi Shlomo Koves.

Among the several esteemed attendees was Géza Szőcs, the Deputy Minister of Culture, who always comes with an open heart and an original idea on a Biblical verse.

This was not the first Chabad event that he has participated in. Mr. Szőcs also recently attended the grand Purim event held at the Obuda Synagogue which was attended by all the important Jewish community leaders, honoring Chabad’s work in Budapest.

Another important guest at the event was Dr. Csaba Hende, Minister of Defense, who is a good friend to Israel. He just recently took a trip there along with Rabbi Shlomo Koves, joining the EFI group which included 500 other European leaders.

In Herzeliya, Israel, he talked about how the Hungarian government is doing everything in its power to help the Jewish community and to make up for the crimes that have been committed against the Jewish Hungarian population in the past.

Chabad is well known in Hungary for its selfless work. Purim was a great opportunity for others to also be a part of this. By honoring the mitzvah of giving to charity, people were able to help Chabad with what it does year round.

Some of the speakers at the Purim event were Rabbi Baruch Oberlander – head shliach in Hungary, who spoke about the meaning of Purim, and the traditions observed during this holiday, and Rabbi Shlomo Koves who spoke about how giving to charity is not just about helping a fellow human being, it is also important because it connects you to the community, and it is essential to be a part of the community. He also gave special thanks to Peter Wilhelm, for always helping Chabad, and for sponsoring the entire event.