Although the festival kicked of unofficially on Saturday evening with a performance of Vivaldi?s Oratorio at the Rumbach Street Synagogue, it officially started on Sunday with the opening of the Jewish Book Festival, held at Deák Square in the city centre.
?The Jewish Summer Festival is a special achievement of Hungarian Jewish culture?The Hungarian Jewish community is not an ancient fossil, but an active and instructive community which encourages and fosters self respect, and at the same time thinks in European terms,? managing director of the Alliance of Jewish Communities in Hungary Gusztáv Zoltai said at the ceremony to mark the festival?s opening.
Zoltai noted that, with Israel at war, this year?s festival has a special purpose. ?Let every moment of this festival be an expression of solidarity with Israel, a small sign, a prayer, a petition for Israel.?
Deputy Mayor János Schiffer welcomed visitors to the festival and acknowledged in a speech Jewish artists? contribution to making Budapest a thriving metropolis.
Israel?s ambassador to Hungary David Admon also attended the opening ceremony.
The Dohány Street synagogue will once again be the central venue for this year?s Jewish Summer Festival. The synagogue hosted an international cantor concert on Sunday evening, and on the programme for the rest of the week are the premiere of an opera written by Ödön Pártos, a concert by the Budapest Klezmer Band with Roby Lakatos and his orchestra and a performance by the violinist Vadim Gluzman, this year?s guest of honour.
Cabaret, film screenings, theatre performances, concerts and art exhibitions have also been organised for the festival. These are being held at various venues around the centre of the capital, including the Uránia Cinema, the Örökmozgó Cinema, the New Orleans Club, the Music Academy, the Operetta Theatre, the Belvárosi Theatre and the Aranytíz Cultural Centre.
Also, for the first time, some of the festival?s events will be held outside of Budapest, in towns such as in Kiskunhalas, Vác, Karcag and Nagykőrös. There will even be events beyond Hungary?s borders, in Subotica in Serbia.
The year?s festival, which has a budget of HUF 64 million, is expected to attract 130,000 visitors. Ten percent of the festival?s revenues will be used to assist orphans in Israel.
The 9th Jewish Summer Festival runs until September 3.
For more information visit the festival?s homepage at http://www.jewishfestival.hu/
