the Dohány Street Synagogue is one of the largest

Jewish houses of worship on the planet.

This is Hungary's great synagogue.

The synagogue was constructed in the 1850s.

Its architect settled on a distinctly

Moorish look in the building's design.

Combining elements of North African

and Central European architecture.

Inside this monumental space is a capacity

for nearly 3,000 worshipers,

making it the largest synagogue in Europe

and one of the largest working synagogues in the world.

The synagogue has hosted concerts

with classical legends like Franz Liszt.

And in modern times the chambers still fills

to standing room only for performances.

But it wasn't always celebrations behind these walls.

The building suffered and survived bombings

and occupation by the Nazis.

And it was heavily damaged when the Soviet Union

retook the city near the end of World War II.

The story of the synagogue's worshipers

and the Jews of Europe at large

is preserved throughout the complex.

It is home to a Jewish museum,

a Jewish cemetery, and a sobering memorial

to the atrocities of the holocaust.

This great synagogue both reminds us

of darkness and inspires us to hope

as we look forward into the future.