The Christian Science Monitor

How a ‘wonder rabbi’ is stirring up a Hungarian village

This 18th-century Jewish cemetery contains the grave of Rebbe Shaya’la, as well as other rabbis. Rebbe Shaya’la is buried in a traditional tabernacle along with his wife and an unknown rabbi.

This Hungarian hamlet offers many attractions to visitors from abroad: a picturesque landscape, historical sights. The region in which it lies is even recognized as part of UNESCO’s world heritage program for its centuries-long culture of winemaking.

But the latest influx of visitors to Bodrogkeresztúr are coming for a very different reason – and are shining a light on the village’s history.

Bodrogkeresztúr is fast becoming a major pilgrimage site for Jews around the world who want to pray at the grave of a rabbi in hopes of miraculous intervention. Their presence in the village – which had a significant Jewish population until its deportation in 1944 – has sparked a delicate debate among the locals. Some would

The draw of the wonder rabbi“They have the right to be here”

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