Day 51 - August 28: largest synagogue in Europe & live translation in the service

Today on Sunday, it was necessary to get up early. I could choose from three different service times: 9, 11, and 6 pm, and I decided on the first service at 9 o'clock. Because today at noon, I wanted to leave Budapest after two days and continue cycling to the rural-city community in Dabas, but before that, I absolutely wanted to visit the largest Jewish synagogue in Europe. This was not possible on Saturday because their place of worship is closed due to the Jewish holiday - Shabbat - and the day is spent with family.

In the 9 o'clock service, I had the opportunity to introduce myself and my journey briefly and report on the special encounters. Furthermore, Feri's wife Klara translated the sermon for me with a rather difficult text from the Book of Jeremiah. In the service, there was also communion, and I knelt down for it, as all Hungarian Lutherans practice. After the service, it was time to say goodbye to Feri and his wife and, above all, to thank them for their time and the evening.

Afterwards, I visited the impressive synagogue in oriental-Moorish style. It is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world. Although the entrance fee was relatively high, you could visit everything, including the museum, and had a guided tour in German. The interior and its design also resemble a church and even have an organ. Ultra-Orthodox Jews would not accept this. Today, around 20,000 Jews live in the city again. But only a small percentage also see themselves as religious. On Friday evening, around 300 believers come to the Jewish service. During the tour, I kept thinking about the memorial on the banks of the Danube, which I visited the day before.

Then I went back to the community center, loaded my bike, and rode out of Budapest. It was not always easy to find the right cycle path in the maze of expressways and railways. After about 90 minutes, I had left the metropolitan area and cycled along an idyllic arm of the Danube towards Dabas. In the evening, the curator opened the community center for me where I was allowed to stay overnight. After a shower, I cycled around the quiet little town for a while. Eszter - the pastor of Dabas - will not return from Germany until night. What awaited me the next day in the community surprised me very positively.