The Tom Lantos Institute has contributed to the implementation of Jewish culture and history projects in the countryside for years. As part of this project, TLI supported the publication of a teachers’ guide for the permanent exhibition at the Synagogue of Pécs titled “Living Together Then and Now,  the creation of the travelling exhibition  “Pictures and memories from the past of the disappeared Jewish community of Sárbogárd”, and the Hungarian translation of the book “The Jews of Timișoara: A Historical Perspective” written by Tibor Schatteles. 

Since 2016, TLI has cooperated with the local community of Sátoraljaújhely in organising its annual event remembering Jewish life in Zemplén, the Day of Remembrance. In addition to unveiling commemorative plaques, we supported the publication of a number of books on local Jewish history. We also contributed to the creation of an interactive online map of Jewish memorial sites and buildings of Zemplén.

In 2023, we continue our collaboration with the civil society of Sátoraljaújhely in the farmework of the the Day of Remembrance programme, which will be organised for the eighth time this autumn.

In order to increase the visibility of the Jewry of the countryside, in collaboration with the Israeli Cultural Institute in Budapest, we launched a new initiative last year, entitled “The past, present and future of the Jewry of Transdanubia.”  We organised an event to showcase the rich and diverse Hungarian Jewish heritage of Transdanubia. Lectures, exhibitions, and presentations of community initiatives provided insight into the past and present of the Jewish communities of Siófok, Székesfehérvár, Szombathely, and the Káli Basin. We will continue this project in 2023, and involve other Jewish communities from the region.