Friday night was celebrated at Moishe house, which is a place for the young Jewish people from the community to hang out together and aside from having Shabbat dinners together, organize social events such as picnics, going hiking, movies etc. We had a chance to speak with young students who are just starting their Jewish journey and learning about Jewish identity. Some discovered that they were Jews only a few years ago. I could not help but think that these are the little “Mosseses” that I think will take the Jewish people of Budapest out to “freedom” to practice their Jewishness and re-built a wonderful, rich and strong Jewish community as it was before the war and before communism. In every passover we read about how the father tells his children where they came from and where they are going to. Nowadays it is the job of the young ones to tell their parents how Jewish life used to be. The evening was filled with great food and great enthusiasm.
I fondly remembered having dinner at another Moshe house in Topeka Kansas, where my son was studying at Washburn university. My husband and I were very proud of our son seeking to meet other Jewish people in the community and get involved in the various activities that they offered. I highly recommend any young Jewish person who is traveling in the United States and all over the world to find where the local Moshe house is. Here is the website of Moshe house: https://www.moishehouse.org
On Shabbat morning, several teachers went to the synagogue. There was an organ and a five man choir. There was a terrific cantor, and many of his tunes were similar to those done in other synagogues, but he slowed down the tempos in a way that led us to believe that these tempos were how the pieces were originally written. The words “Midor L’dor” – from generation to generation have a huge impact on Jewish continuity. Let us never forget that! Just like it is an obligation at the seder to tell the story of Yetziat Mizrayim – Leaving Egypt – it is an obligation for each generation to tell the story of the previous generation.
Later on in the late afternoon we did a walking tour of the Jewish ghetto. The guide was amazing! She shared with us how she found out that she was Jewish at a very late period in her life. The tour passed by a monument sponsored by the government and dedicated to the “Victims of Nazi Persecution.” It is adorned with an eagle and a statue of the angel Michael. This monument is most known for the protests waged against it. Many of the locals are well aware that, far from being victims, many of the Hungarians were, in fact, collaborators. As such, every day there is a protest in front of the statue, and people put up signs and pictures reminding people of this shameful history. Our tour ended at the Danube where we had Havdalah in front of the “shoes”….This is a permanent display of bronze shoes on the banks of the river, in memory of those thrown into the Danube by the Hungarian collaborators. Jews were ordered to take off their shoes, and were tied up to one another. Than the first one closest to the water was shot and fell into the river along with all the others that were tied to him.
Before saying Havdalah we also sang Hannah Senesh’s poem set to music, “Eili, Eili”. The whole service was very moving and a very appropriate way to end our tour and our last activity in Hungary. After Havdalah we threw the remaining wine into the Danube. It trickled down in a bright red color as it fell into the water.
Finally, a boat ride down the Danube, passing the bridges and seeing anew all the sides on both sides of the river. There were earphones to listen to explanations and it was interesting that it was different in Hebrew and in English. The Hebrew version mentioned the shoe display in the shoe memorial it also mentioned that the Nobel prize winners of Hungary were Jewish. It also mentioned that Elizabeth Talyor stayed in one of the hotels, identifying her first as Jewish! When the explanations were not playing, the waltzes of Richard Strauss were heard, including the Blue Danube.
We just got back from our last dinner together as a group and we summarized our experiences and reflections. The last supper together was a sad one for me. It is going to be hard for me to say goodbye to my fellow colleagues from JDS in Rockville, Maryland. We have become a close family who share ideas, opinions and unique perspectives on everything we see, hear and feel. We tell jokes and laugh and we enjoy each other’s company till very late hours of the night.
Only three hours before our flight back home.
Good bye Budapest! It has been a spiritual, emotional, educational and enlightening journey! We are all looking forward to continuing and strengthening our personal and professional relationships we have built together! We can’t wait to welcome you when you come to us in the United States!
Shalom and L’hitraot!
