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Memory Site 1: From the Walls of Eötvös Loránd University to the Rumbach Synagogue

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the liberation of the Budapest Ghetto, Marom organized a public discussion and guided tour exploring key Holocaust memory sites. This three-part program invited participants to engage in a dialogue about remembrance, historical trauma, and the evolving landscape of Holocaust memorials.

The first session took place on January 26th, from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM, beginning at Eötvös Loránd University’s Holocaust memorial site. The tour commenced with an introduction and a guided walk led by Dr. Gabriella Dohi (journalist, cultural researcher, and leader of the Jewish Quarter from a Women’s Perspective tour) alongside the university’s exterior wall. Participants closely examined a thin bronze stripe inscribed with the names of 198 victims—students and faculty members who perished in the Holocaust. This silent yet powerful memorial encircles the building, serving as an enduring tribute to those lost.

Led by Dr. Anikó Félix (sociologist and Executive Director of the Haver Foundation), the walk continued through the invisible entrance of the Jewish Quarter, which also represents an invisible ghetto wall, before reaching the newly renovated Rumbach Synagogue. Attendees explored the history of this significant site, including lesser-known aspects of its past—such as its role as a collection point for Hungarian Jews who could not provide documentation of their citizenship and were subsequently deported and murdered in Kamianets-Podilskyi. Visitors also explored the permanent exhibition on the first floor and gained deeper insight into the synagogue’s architectural and cultural heritage.

The event concluded at the JDC Mozaik Hub, where a discussion focused on Holocaust memorials and remembrance sites established in recent decades. Participants reflected on the guided tour experience, raising critical questions about how memory is preserved and conveyed through public spaces. The session also featured the screening of two short animated films by Zsófia Szemző, portraying the Rumbach Synagogue as a space of absence, further deepening the exploration of memory and loss.

This program was designed to foster reflection, encourage meaningful dialogue, and contribute to the ongoing discourse on Holocaust remembrance in Hungary and beyond.

Program Leaders:
Dr. Gabriella Dohi - Journalist, cultural researcher, and leader of the "Jewish Quarter from a Women’s Perspective" tour. She works across various media, creating video and still images, writing, and broadcasting. She completed her PhD at the ELTE Doctoral School of Film, Media, and Cultural Theory, focusing on female workers and journalists in the Horthy-era press. In 2018, she received a special award for video journalism in the "Dignity from Poverty" press awards, and in 2020, she won the main prize in the radio/podcast category.

Dr. Anikó Félix - Sociologist who defended her doctoral dissertation at the Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE, in 2019. She has participated in numerous international research projects, publications, and conferences focusing on far-right movements, antisemitism, and Holocaust memory. Besides her academic work, she has been involved in civil society organizations and educational initiatives against prejudice and exclusion. Since September 2023, she has been the Executive Director of the Haver Foundation.

The event was organised as part of the project "ReActMem: Rescue Memory - Activism, Arts and Public Remembrance", which is being implemented by Marom together with twelve European partners, thanks to funding from the European Union under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme.

Links: Radio interview about the event, Facebook event link