Sim
Shalom
Magyarul Our Synagogue Situation
Sim Shalom Congregation has existed more than 15 years and fulfils
the triple functions of a synagogue: Bet T’fila- house of prayer, Bet
Midrash - house of study, Bet Knesset - house of meeting. We have the
congregation, the prayers and the learning. But where is the home for
it?
We rented various apartments for many years. For the last two years we
have been dealing with the Trustee for Hungarian government buildings.
We have tried to collect funds for the renovation of a government-owned
building - Amerikai street 48., but it is a state-owned property
and will always be. It does not matter how much we would have spent on
it; the government could have taken it back from us at any time. In
these 2 years we have collected 4 million HUF, which is just a fraction
of the amount of money that was needed for the renovation. This is not
surprising as nobody gives big money willingly without seeing it going
to the right place with an assured future.
We have come to a new decision: that our aim should be to get a property
of our very own. We have decided to look for a flat, house, or
store-front in the historical Jewish quarter, which - according to our
hope - would be the home of Sim Shalom at last.
Why exactly there? Because it is an enchanting area. Because we could
be a part of the rebirth of the old Jewish quarter. Because our presence
there would be symbolically significant for the whole Budapest Jewish
community. Because with the message of this rebirth, we could give a
boost to our international fund raising. Because it is in the city
center and easily reachable. We are also looking at alternative
solutions: we are searching for property in the “new Jewish quarter”,
Újlipotvaros and elsewhere as well.
We are looking into all the possibilities therefore to find a home for
our congregation. We welcome any kind of help, support and suggestions.
Watch our homepage for further developments, and please get in touch
with us if you would like to get involved in our fundraising outreach
efforts.
For more details on how to donate, please see our contact/donate page.