In the afternoon, after we taught at Scheiber Gymnasium, we went to visit The Charity Jewish Hospital in Budapest, the only Jewish hospital in Central Europe. Its main goal is the treatment and nursing of holocaust survivors and Yad Vashem laureates, but the institution accommodates ill people irrespective of their religion. The hospital offers medical and also social care home for old, incurable or people otherwise incapable of taking care of themselves.
The short time we spent with few elderly people was very emotional. It taught me that we should value all people and of all ages but the elderly in nursing homes who often feel isolated and excluded are those who could benefit the most of our time and kindness. The Scheiber Gymnasium is the hospital’s next door neighbor and Scheiber students seem to value the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the residents of the hospital. We learned that they often visit the elderly to read to them and we collectively wondered whether our JDS students have such opportunities. I think school-age children are more eager to help in a nursing home once they learn how to become comfortable and how to interact with people different than themselves. This is a great occasion to learn responsibility as older people become more dependent on the younger generation.
During our visit, we had the chance to meet a holocaust survivor who had been hospitalized for hip fracture for a long time. The doctor who accompanied our group told us that the old lady, about 84 years old, was in severe pain but every time she had visitors she was smiling wholeheartedly. Until now I thought communication is one of the barriers to young and old coming together and especially, now and here, when I am not able to understand one single word in Hungarian. Even in circumstances when we speak the same language, I often don’t know what to say to an older person. I feel uncomfortable as I am constantly looking for ways to make meaningful connections. However, with this visit, I come to realize that being together in the same room we can light up at the sight of one another and helping them by just being there is helping us understand and accept our own aging.
