Mavi Boncuk: Hungarian Jewry during the Ottoman Period

Mavi Boncuk: Hungarian Jewry during the Ottoman Period: "s is The Great Synagogue on Dohany Street in Budapest. It is also known as the Dohany Synagogue, which oddly translates to the Tobacco Synagogue. It was built between 1854-1859 by the Jewish community of Pest according to the plans of the Viennese architect Ludwig Foerster. The outside of the synagogue is remniscient of a mosque, likely as a result of the Ottoman influence in Hungary.

Mavi Boncuk

Hungarian Jewry during the Ottoman Period

The first, temporary Ottoman conquest of Buda in 1526 caused many of the Jewish inhabitants to join the retreating Turks. As a result of this movement, congregations of Hungarian Jews formed within the important communities of the Balkans. After central Hungary was incorporated within the Ottoman Empire in 1541, the Jewish status was relatively satisfactory. Jewish settlement in Buda was renewed, and Sephardim of Asia Minor and Balkan origin also settled there. During the 17th century Buda was one of the most important communities of the Ottoman Empire. This was largely due to the authority of its rabbi, Ephraim b. Jacob ha-Kohen, author of Sha'ar Efrayim (1688).

In contrast, in the Hapsburg dominions of Hungary in this period hatred"