Green Commemoration Honoring Immanuel Löw

events Programme

The Green Commemoration Honoring Immanuel Löw was a three-day international conference held in Szeged, Hungary, from September 4 to 6, 2024. Its primary aim was to bring together scholars, researchers, and community members from across Hungary and abroad to reflect on the life and legacy of Rabbi Dr. Immanuel Löw (1854–1944), Chief Rabbi of Szeged, with a particular focus on his pioneering work in botany.

This multidisciplinary event combined academic inquiry with public remembrance. Central to the commemoration was the inauguration of two new urban parks named after Immanuel Löw and his father, Rabbi Leopold Löw—created on the site of former parking lots to serve as green, communal spaces for the entire city. This symbolic transformation reflected the environmental values of Immanuel Löw, who studied the flora mentioned in the Talmud and authored key works in Jewish ethnobotany.

The conference featured a rich program of plenary lectures, thematic panels, film screenings, guided tours, and commemorative walks. Scholars presented new research on Löw’s religious reforms, scientific writings, public leadership, and his influence on Jewish thought and urban development. The event fostered meaningful dialogue between academic institutions, cultural organizations, and the local Jewish community.

Sessions took place at the Szeged Jewish Community Hall and in outdoor spaces, including the newly named Löw parks. Highlights included the presentation of the Löw Awards, the screening of He Who Understood the Language of Plants, and the ceremonial park inauguration attended by municipal leaders and representatives of the Hungarian Jewish community.

The conference was organized with the support of several institutions, including the Szeged Jewish Community (SzZsH), the Budapest University of Jewish Studies (OR-ZSE), the Austrian Cultural Forum (ÖKF), the Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives (MILEV), and Marom Budapest. The event also marked the 150th anniversary of Immanuel Löw’s first sermon and the 80th anniversary of his death.

Marom Budapest, one of the event's key partners, reaffirmed its commitment to continuing research into Löw’s botanical studies and announced plans to collaborate on translations of his texts into both Hungarian and English.

📸Dóra Pataricza & Andrea Ausztrics