The Jewish Community Forum came into being on September 2004 as a result of the cooperation between the active Jewish organizations in Hungary. The Jewish organizations representing various religious, ideological tendencies realized that it is possible to reach their goals only by working in a strong cooperation.The first important program of large extent of the Forum is the conference entitled: Dialogue on Judaism, organized on the premises of the Hungarian Academy of Science between November 17-20. At the same time the conference is the first country-wide meeting of the Jewry from Hungary. The goal of the conference is to strengthen an open, sincere dialogue about  issues existing within the Jewish community, on the one hand and between the Jewry and a wider society, on the other.Besides the professional discussions led by the representatives of Jewish organizations the conference provides for those who are interested but do not belong to any Jewish organization the possibility of an insight into the community life of the Jewry in Hungary: activities, issues, concerns. An important goal of the conference is also to provide possibility to contribute, to rise issues, to express criticism from the side of those who are interested in different subjects but have not had any active participation so far. Lectures and round table discussions were worked out by the organizers taking into consideration such participants, a program entitled Forum within the forum, which means a free talk directed by a moderator was worked out.

Goals

The conference sets up the following goals:

• A common forum for different Jewish organizations through which they can discuss their views and can find individualized or common answers or solutions for their questions and problematic issues;
• Offering an opportunity to have a dip into and join the life of the Hungarian Jewry for people not affiliated with Jewish Communities;
• To present the life, activities, opportunities, issues and problems of today’s Hungarian Jewry for all those whom are interested.

In order to realize these goals, the program intends to focus on professional debates of domestic issues of the Jewish Community as well as the introduction and discussion of religious and cultural aspects.  The program speaks for itself. The organizers tried to expansively present the life, problems, institutions, initiatives of the Jewish community. Active participants of the Jewish community life were invited as lecturers to the conference (e.g. leaders of Jewish organizations will mainly participate in the round-table discussions presenting the present situation of the Jewry), on the other hand there will be lecturers who approach the same issues on an academic level, more theoretically (e.g. Péter Popper’s presentation about the Holocaust,  Ferenc Erős and András Kovács’s presentation about the changes of the Jewish identity). The program of the Jewish Community Forum worked out together by the participant Jewish organizations - 17 in number  - guarantees a rich variety of ways to approach the themes, to approach them from several points of view.

We have to emphasize some special events in the program like the forum presenting women initiatives or the lecture of Kata Kelemen, the only rabbi women in Hungary.The lecturers of the opening plenary session are András Heisler one of the promoters of the Forum, former president of the MAZSIHISZ, Péter Tordai deputy president of the MAZSIHISZ and György Konrád; the lecturers of the closing plenary session are: Dr. Péter Feldmájer, the president of the MAZSIHISZ, András Heisler and Jorge Diener director of Joint Hungary.All those present may participate in a common Shabbath dinner of Friday evening. The dinner is opened to everybody. On Saturday evening participants can attend a concert on A38 ship.The main sponsor of the conference is Dr. Árpád Göncz.The Jewish Community Forum comprises the following Jewish organizations from Hungary:
 B’nai B’rith, Bnei Akiva, Hagshama, Hasomer Hacair, JMPoint, Amerikai JOINT Magyarország, KIDMA Association, Maccabi Fencing and Athletic Club, Zionist Organization in Hungary, Marom, MAZSIHISZ, MAZSIKE, Pesti Shul, Sim Shalom, Szochnut, UJS – union of Jewish Students, WIZO, Bálint Jewish Community Center.