My Jewish Hungarian journey - August 2010

After hearing so much about Marom Budapest from my marvelous colleague Eszter Susan I decided to come and explore it from a first hand. The Bankito Festivel (Jewstock) was additional excuse to come but not the first one. Looking back on my Hungarian’s experiences I realized that my two reasons were mixes together - the Bankito Festivel is one of the annual highlight events of Marom Budapest, especially for the large, not necessarily Jewish, young adults community of Budapest.

Me first Jewish station in Hungary was at the Budapest Moishe House which was opened a year ago in the Jewish quarter by three energetic young ladies: Eszter Susan, Zsofia Eszter Simon and Anna Balint. I felt at home from the first step and enjoyed a colorful and welcoming design as well as activities. As an active friend of the London Moishe House I was so happy to see that the spirit of a community house is common for those two. In addition I admired the cooperation between the Marom Budapest, the Moishe House and so many other local and international Jewish organizations that know how to work together and put aside differences and politics.

The next day I was on a bus for my second Jewish station – the Bankito Festival which was happening in Bank, a small countryside village that peacefully lies at the shores of a charming lake. I was wondering what makes this festival to be a Jewish one and realized that it was led by more then 100 young Jewish volunteers that are involved on a regular basis in renewed Jewish life in Budapest. Those people are so active because they care and because they know that if they will not do it – nobody else will. They did not grow up with local Jewish leaders or in a families who practiced Judaism. All what they do and know comes from themselves taking reasonability on their Jewish journey. The majority of Hungarian Jews - 90 % of the 100,000 people are coming from such families, this is why it is so important that Marom Hungary is able to channel them (back) to Judaism, and recreate the Hungarian Jewish community.

I was amazed to meet so many talented people playing music (even in Hebrew), creating art and leading sessions and discussions in a variety of topics – just name it.

I had the privilege to participate in the largest Shabbat in Hungary that weekend with more then 100 Jews from Canada, France, the Netherlands, Israel, U.S. , and of course, Hungary gathering in to pray, sing and build a sense of a community so far away from home. Rabbi David Lazar led the services, helped us to create a spiritual environment and encouraged each on of us to ask questions, to look out and find our way, rather then THE way. The subject of that week’s Porshen of the week was the laws of Kosherness. A long and technical list of what you can eat, and what not. Rabbi Lazar took this subject a step forward, made us to look into ourselves and ask how we choose what to put in our body. Whether important just it taste and being healthy, or also what is it’s production procedures, and their morality. How much are we willing to pay to have our food “good” for the animals, the workers, the environment?

Those questions, and so does the activist spirit I met in the festival, came back with me back to London, and grew into a big love for the people and ideas I’ve met. I can’t wait for my next visit, to keep watching from close the beauty of this growing and flourishing community.