A Walk in the Jewish Quarter "Corner View"

I am not Jewish nor did I live during War World II, but I feel a certain responsibility to acknowledge what took place during that time frame.  The Jewish presence in Budapest goes back to the 1300 hundreds and in the 1930s the population was around 200,000 less than 5% of the total population. The Jews were well integrated into society unlike in Poland. They held jobs of high prominence and were leaders in many fields such as math and science.  The anti-jewish sentiment did not escape Hungary and just like the rest of Europe many Jews were either massacred or sent to Auschwitz. I have never been to a Jewish Synagogue.  It was lovely!  I saw many similarities in it's design to the Catholic cathedrals throughout Europe.  I was surprised by its grandeur.  I actually wish I would have gone on a tour through the Jewish Quarter or had hired a private guide.  The Jewish Quarter was really easy to walk, but I think I would have benefited by a guide by learning more about this part of Hungarian history. One cannot acknowledge this part of history in Hungary without walking down to the banks of the Danube River to see the shoe memorial.  The shoes along the banks represent the lives lost to the Arrow Cross who ordered in the years of 1944-1945 Jews to take off their shoes at the edge of the river and then shot them in the back. While every life is precious it was all I could do not to lose it when I saw the shoes of a small toddler.  Heartbreaking!

 tribute to the rubic cube which was invented by a Hungarian

 Street Art

 The ghetto wall