We’ve been privileged to enjoy beautiful weather during our time in Budapest. Yesterday, I spent some time outside by the Lauder Javne play area watching the elementary grade children methodically create heaps of leaves to use for throwing, burying (which didn’t go over well with their teacher), and as a pillow for jumping. Filled with nostalgia for my childhood, I marveled at their spirit; they simultaneously frolicked in the moment, adapted to what they needed to do to keep the activities going, and planned for the next round. Today, I was delighted to explore the preschool, a special haven dedicated to cultivating each child’s senses and developing their creative minds. Preschool children at Lauder Javne spend a couple of glorious hours outside every day, engaged in unstructured and structured play – today, the children were planting onions. In Las Vegas today, our Adelson preschoolers may also be planting onions, or any other variety of kale, pepper, or berry, in our garden. Both schools, with Jewish missions, engaging children in meaningful play that fosters sensitivity, patience, reflection, and, we hope, an understanding of the value of time.
This afternoon, we had the privilege of being serenaded by the members of a Jewish home for those who are developmentally disabled. We were uplifted by their smiles; what a mitzvah for us to give the gift of time to each other.
Following, our group spent time at a neighboring synagogue and memorial to the lives lost in the Holocaust. Time, in its joy and sorrow, is entrenched in our Jewish heritage and identity. It’s everywhere in the city of Budapest, memorialized as time lost that will never be regained; time that we will never forget.
As our week with Lauder Javne comes to a close tomorrow, I am struck by our communities’ cultural differences that guide how we plan for our children’s development and futures.
However, the value of time is universal; it is a scarce resource, a luxury; one that is often lost, but which can be reclaimed, even if not in the same way we once experienced it. It is through our shared resilience, and relentless optimism, espoused thoroughly and authentically by our SOS International team leaders, Alan and Glynis, that we will continue to honor the time we have and teach our children to do the same. Just as the children did when playing freely with the leaves, we will engage and be present, adapt, and be intentional about planning for a future rich in Jewish identity and tradition,
