Budapest’s Vasvári Pál Street Synagogue, home of the city’s Sász Chevra (Talmud Society), rolls out a full calendar of prayer times, study sessions, and holiday celebrations through spring and early summer 2026 at 1061 Budapest, 6th District – Terézváros (Theresa Town), Vasvári Pál Street (Vasvári Pál utca) 5. “This building was built for worship and in honor of the Torah by the leaders of Budapest’s Sász Chevra. Sász Chevra means Talmud Society, so there’s a strong emphasis on learning here,” says Rabbi Baruch Oberlander, leader of the Vasvári and founder of Chabad in Hungary.
Prayer Schedule
Regular services anchor the week. On Fridays: 15:50 Mincha (afternoon prayer), 16:20 Kabbalat Shabbat with Rabbi Baruch Oberlander, followed by 17:10 Kiddush and dinner upstairs with the rabbi, then 18:10 study with him. Saturdays begin at 9:15 with the morning service led by Rabbi Oberlander. The afternoon block at 15:30 features Mincha, a seudah shlishit meal and study (Pirkei Avot), then the evening Maariv with the rabbi. An additional note lists an evening prayer at 16:40.
From Sunday to Friday, the morning service starts at 8:10. A general note on prayer times sets weekday morning prayers at 8:00 from Sunday through Friday, with Kabbalat Shabbat and Kiddush at 18:00 throughout the winter from November, and Shabbat morning at 9:15. Thursday morning prayers are also streamed live via Zoom for those joining remotely.
Weekly Classes
Learning is the heart of the house. Mondays, 21:00–22:00: dive into the Book of Samuel with Gyuri Szabó. Thursdays, 19:30–21:00: Hebrew liturgy language course with Rabbi Oberlander; and 21:00–22:00: weekly Torah portion talk with Gyuri Szabó. Fridays, 17:00–18:00: continue exploring the weekly portion with Gyuri Szabó, rolling straight into Kabbalat Shabbat and prayer afterward.
Monday Night Kabbalah and Talmud
From May through July, Monday evenings are a standing invitation. Kabbalah Hour with Rabbi Baruch Oberlander convenes every Monday at 19:00 at the Vasvári Synagogue. At 20:00 on the same nights, join his weekly Talmud study, where participants translate and analyze Talmudic texts together, opening a window into rabbinic thought.
Dates include 2026.05.18, 2026.05.25, 2026.06.01, 2026.06.08, 2026.06.15, 2026.06.22, 2026.06.29, and 2026.07.06. All sessions are held in Budapest at Vasvári Pál Street (Vasvári Pál utca) 5.
Shavuot at Vasvári: First Night
On 2026.05.21, celebrate Shavuot’s first evening with study, prayer, and a festive dinner. The program flows as follows:
• 19:00 – Lecture by Menachem Gyuri Szabó
• 20:00 – Mincha (afternoon prayer)
• 20:15 – Lecture by Rabbi Baruch Oberlander
• 21:05 – Festive evening prayer
• 21:45 – Festive meal, learning sessions, and a roundtable discussion
Registration is open for a spirited communal Shavuot evening capturing the unique atmosphere of the giving of the Torah.
Shavuot: Day One and Second Evening
On 2026.05.22, the first day of Shavuot features joint prayer, the public reading of the Ten Commandments, and a celebratory Kiddush. As evening falls, the community reconvenes for more talks, learning, and programs, keeping the momentum of the holiday alive with a welcoming, tradition-rich atmosphere.
Shavuot: Day Two and Farewell
Close out Shavuot on 2026.05.23 with communal prayer, the Priestly Blessing, and festive Kiddush, followed by an intimate farbrengen and a warm farewell to the holiday. Schedule for Shavuot Day Two (Saturday, May 23):
• 9:15 – Shacharit, festive morning prayer
• 10:45 – Yizkor memorial prayer
• 11:00 – Priestly Blessing
• 11:45 – Festive Kiddush
Shavuot Holiday Farewell (Saturday, May 23):
• 19:30 – Mincha, festive afternoon prayer
• 20:00 – Farbrengen, holiday farewell gathering
• 21:22 – Evening prayer, Havdalah
Keeping the Doors Open
The Vasvári’s rhythm is steady: a welcoming pulse of prayer, text, and community. The Friday evening arc—Mincha, welcoming Shabbat with Rabbi Oberlander, Kiddush and dinner upstairs, then study—folds learning into every step of the experience. Saturdays deepen it through Pirkei Avot during the seudah shlishit, creating space for reflection, conversation, and continuity.
Weekdays keep the community connected. The 8:00–8:10 morning slot means regulars and newcomers alike can carve out a daily spiritual anchor, with the added accessibility of Thursday’s Zoom stream. Meanwhile, the weekly slate of classes offers entry points for different interests: scriptural analysis in Samuel, the practical poetry of Hebrew liturgy, and the ever-renewing weekly portion.
A House Built for Learning
“This building was built for worship and in honor of the Torah by the leaders of Budapest’s Sász Chevra. Sász Chevra means Talmud Society, so there’s a strong emphasis on learning here,” Rabbi Oberlander says. That ethos is visible across the schedule: Kabbalah at 19:00, Talmud at 20:00 on Mondays, the Torah portion twice weekly, and the Shavuot marathon of lectures, roundtables, farbrengen, and layered prayer. The address—1061 Budapest, Vasvári Pál Street (Vasvári Pál utca) 5—anchors it all. Doors open. Pages turn. Voices rise together.
