Address : 1122 Budapest, Alma street 2.
E-mail: almaotthon@maoih.hu
Head of institution: Dan Judit
The House of Love of the Orthodox Community was a supplement to the former Bíró Dániel Hospital, founded in 1920, located at 64–66 Városmajor Street. One of the last stages in the development of the Orthodox supply system was the extension of the House of Love with a new pavilion on the Alma Street side of the site. On January 10, 1937, a two-storey modern-style house was handed over, based on the plans of architects Lajos Fejér and architects Miksa Grünwald. The following concise description of the building was provided:
“Clean, bright, airy suites, equipped with central heating and hot water supply, the entire building, lined with brilliant tiles and white furniture, awaited the leadership gathered for the inauguration ceremony. […] In this house of love, he says, they can live their old days in Torah learning and religiosity in peace, without any worries.”
On the ground floor of this pavilion there was also a prayer room of the House of Love, consisting of a larger and a smaller room, in the large room men are praying, in the smaller the women and the Kidus were kept here – the two rooms were connected by a latticed, curtained window. In addition to the residents, the house of prayer is also used by the locals.
Unfortunately, the events of the dark era overshadowed the institution’s past. The Arrow Cross troops wanted to break into the Home of Love several times, but the International Red Cross delegate and the Budapest police prevented this, and 90 elderly people remained in the building. On the evening of January 19, 1945, the district archery mob appeared, killing the men at the scene and the women were shot to death on the town side of Szamos Street, while the Russian troops were already at St. John’s Hospital at the end of the street.
In the fall of 2020, with the completion of the first phase of the renovation, the synagogue was relocated to an older villa building that is part of the complex. The prayer house, which has been placed in a more worthy place, can thus be approached from Városmajor Street from a garden surrounded in a U-shape through an elegant flight of stairs, through a four-column portico. The spacious and bright synagogue is illuminated by the glass-hanging arms of copper chandeliers, and the Torah cabinet, bima and prayer table are part of the old, usual furnishings.
The Home of Love is currently under renovation, so it will not be able to accommodate additional residents until the works are completed.
