Former Synagogue

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According to a census from 1723-24, there were already 7 Jewish families living in Bodrogkeresztúr at that time, and their number steadily increased throughout the 18th century. The strengthening of the community and religious life is evidenced by the fact that the first rabbi of the Pest Israelite community, Israel Wahrmann, served as a rabbi in Bodrogkeresztúr before 1765. Records from the same year also show that Jewish merchants from Pest County visited the market in Keresztúr. A few decades later, in 1786, the settlement had 256 Jewish residents across 65 households. Following Emperor Joseph II's Edict of Tolerance, they were permitted to build a school, making it noteworthy that one of the first public Jewish schools in Hungary began operating in Bodrogkeresztúr in 1785, the same year as the first public Jewish school in Miskolc. The Bodrogkeresztúr school had a total of 25 students in its first and second classes, overseen locally by Rabbi Eliezer London, with Philip Lőrre as the teacher. This school relocated to Mád in 1788. In the 18th century, most Jews were leaseholders, but records from Bodrogkeresztúr show that there were already Jewish vineyard owners in the settlement. By 1771, 26 acres of vineyards were cultivated by Jewish owners. In the third quarter of the 18th century, there were two Jewish temples in Zemplén County. One synagogue was certainly operating in Bodrogkeresztúr by 1767, and another in Mád by 1771. However, since there were 36 Jewish leaseholders in Keresztúr, 48 in Mád, and 54 in Tolcsva in 1771, it is likely that the Jewish residents of Tolcsva, living under similar conditions, also had a synagogue. Later, three synagogues operated in the settlement. The former Neolog temple, still visible today, was built in 1809 with its five large clover-shaped windows and mansard roof with broken lines. Today, the building serves as a tourist and stork conservation centre.