We arrived Friday in Budapest and have been able to spend the past few days becoming acquainted with this fascinating city. Although it’s only been two days, it feels like Rome or Paris in the 90s. That’s a pretty cool thing.
Our guide today, Agi, clued us into a lot of Hungarian history, particularly Jewish history from her unique lens. There has been an integration of gentiles and Jews here that stretches back all the way to the Roman Empire. In fact we saw Jewish tombstones from the 3rd century. Agi’s sense of humor, although a bit sardonic, is authentic and insightful. Clearly, she, as well as others, are battling against the antisemitic right-wing propaganda that the Budapest Jews invited the Russians to invade in 1945 to save themselves and enslave the country.
Alan has spoken to us about a potential transformative experience awaiting us over the next week and it’s not hard to see how that could happen. We meet our teacher counterparts tonight at dinner and tomorrow we go to the Lauder school for the first time. Excited and a little nervous.
I love the area we are staying in, the old Jewish ghetto. The young people and “ruin” bars make it burst with vitality.
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