“Now what?” A Hungarian teenager questioned the American Chargé D’affaires of Hungary. Discussing the Hungarian politics, the students at Scheiber Sándor wonder what they can do to change the government’s opinion. A month ago over 100,000 people, including the Hungarian teenagers, protested in Budapest against the Hungarian government. They want a change, but they don’t know what to do. They are all involved in Hungarian activism; however, they haven’t seen anything happen to improve the situation. The government is not listening to them and they don’t know what else to do. The chargé d’affaires also did not have an answer. He continuously said that the most important thing is to be engaged and to express what you support. But, they have done that. How much more can they do? They are only teenagers.
“But, this is my future”, another Hungarian told me. Unfortunately, they need to worry. The authoritative government controls their life decisions. Do they stay in Hungary and continue their education? Or, do they leave Hungary and start over? These are the questions that they think and worry about everyday. But, they don’t show it.
Smiling, laughing, hugging, and enjoying everyone’s company, I didn’t realize the hardship of Hungarian politics that they live with each day. I didn’t realize that they might have to leave their home, the place where they grew up, to have a better life. Going into the shabbaton with my Hungarian siblings, I hope that everyone will be able to forget, for just a minute, the reality of life, the struggles and hardships, and to enjoy the amazing opportunity to expand our Judaism and create ever lasting friendships.
