Rumbach Street Synagogue


The Rumbach Street synagogue is located in Belváros, the inner city of the historical old town of Pest, in the eastern section of Budapest.
The synagogue in Rumbach Street was built in 1872 to the design of the Viennese architect Otto Wagner. It served the more conservative members of the Neológ community of Pest.
The Moorish Revival synagogue has eight sides and has recently been restored with a grant from the Budapest Government. The octagonal, balconied, domed synagogue intricately patterned and painted in Islamic style is exquisitely beautiful. It was built not as an exact replica of, but as an homage to the style of the octagonal, domed Dome of the Rock Muslim shrine in Jerusalem.
The synagogue sometimes hosts plays and photo exhibits*. There is some labeling of items in the synagogue many of which are in a state of ruin*.
The Rabbi of the Rumbach Street synagogue was Rabbi Shloime Boruch Schmalhausen until the Holocaust and deportation of the Jews of Budapest.