Hungarian Jewish Museum Opens in Newly Enlarged Building

The rebuilt and newly enlarged building of the Budapest Jewish Museum was inaugurated recently with the opening of a new art exhibition, “Victims and Killers.”

Among those attending the inauguration ceremonies was Hungarian President Arpad Goncz.

The art exhibit included drawings by a Hungarian Jewish artist who depicted the Jewish victims of the Budapest ghetto 50 years ago. Another display by a Jewish artist depicts the war-crimes trials of Hungarian Nazis after World War II.

The Budapest Jewish Museum’s new building was enlarged by some 780 square feet. The museum, established in 1930, was originally housed in the home where Zionist leader Theodor Herzl was born.

The museum, now part of a complex of buildings attached to the Central Dohany Synagogue, will soon include a permanent exhibit on the history of Hungarian Jewry.

The reconstruction of the whole complex now is under way and will be completed by the end of the year if funds promised by the Hungarian government and other donors are soon received, said Gusztav Zoltai, head of the Hungarian Jewish community.

Also on exhibit is the collection of Jewish relics that were stolen from the museum in December 1993.

These works of art, valued at $200 million, consisted of more than 180 works collected since 1916, including gold and silver religious objects, paintings and carpets.

Most of the collection was recovered in Romania in August 1994 as the result of a joint effort of Hungarian, Romanian and Israeli police.

About 90 percent of the collection has already been returned to Budapest, with some of the pieces remaining in Romania under the control of the police there.

Those pieces will be returned to the Budapest Jewish Museum in about two months, said Zoltai.

After it closes here, the exhibition will head of Jerusalem, Washington and Los Angeles.