Keeping friendships alive
As this amazing trip comes to an end I want to make sure that I take every last opportunity to strengthen the friendships I have made so far. As we are all taking the bus to the campsite for the Shabbaton ...
Incredible Shabbat
I have never been a blogger prior to my trip to Budapest. Blogging is for people who are convinced that others are interested in their thoughts and perspective. However, I am now so thankful for being ...
The most memorable part of Shabbos
She told me that her grandmother hates her because she’s Jewish.
Her father isn’t Jewish, but her mother is. When she was little her grandmother still had something to do with her but that was because ...
Blessings
A column of girls lines up in front of me, each patiently waiting her turn to receive my blessing. The sun has set in Budapest, we have welcomed Shabbat with services, song and prayer, and now, just ...
Continuing across the ocean
Since today was Grandparents Day at the preschool and it was going to be very chaotic, we decided to have our final meeting away from the school. We treated Magda and Marika to a big American ...
A heartfelt moment
I was emotionally touched as I helped Simon wrap the seventh loop around his arm. One experience I will always remember is when I wrapped my Tefillin for the first time when I turned 13 with my father. ...
Emotional involvement became the prime strength of the program
Preparing for the visit from the staff of BT Dahan Community School, Baltimore, I could not really foresee what a magnificent program I will be in. I was unaware of the potentials of the program as ...
Beauty across Budapest
Yesterday we went sightseeing across Budapest. I decided to try to capture the landscape of Budapest with panoramic images that tell a story about my travels. Below are a few panoramic images from ...
Just the tip of the iceberg
The Magical Bridge Playground was our first stop today. This four-year-old area is part of a larger park in Palo Alto. As we walked into the park we saw beautiful green grass and trees. There was ...
The reality and evil in this world
Every night in Hungary I have kept a journal describing all my experiences of that day. This allows me time to think about how these new experiences made me feel and give me a way to remember every ...
Fun and exciting time
Today we went to the zoo after breakfast and davening. Everybody enjoyed it very much, we laughed and talked a lot and it was a very good experience.
At 1 o’clock we went back to school and ...
New opportunities
Coming to SSG and meeting all the kids from Hungary was an absolute eye-opening and amazing experience! Although I enjoyed everything we did the entire week, the best part was definitely getting to ...
We’ve known each other forever
It is now halfway through the trip. We only have two full more days left before we get on a plane and go back to the US. I love it here, in Budapest. The people are so nice and friendly and just so ...
Life-changing experience
I lay in my bed after a long amazing life-changing couple of days in Budapest. Upon arrival, I was a little anxious even though I already knew many of the Hungarian kids. Within the first 30 minutes ...
Perspective
In life, every second is precious. We must savor these moments that make us happy to be alive. For me, one of these moments was my Budapest Eye ferris wheel ride.
When we landed in Budapest, I felt confused. ...
The most important thing in creating is the creative process itself
We started our day with a morning meeting with teachers from school. We introduced ourselves and told everyone about our kindergarten in Krakow and we showed a film about the reviving Jewish life in ...
It warms my heart to observe the Morim
Our day at the Palo Alto JCC began with a morning meeting for the preschool staff. I spoke to the staff about SOS International: Enriching Jewish Identity, explained the Early Childhood Morim Program, ...
Great laughs and conversation
My name is Simon P, I was born in Budapest, Hungary in 2000. I came to Scheiber Sandor Gimnazium as a first grader, back in 2007. Last time I missed the chance to apply for this project due to my negligence ...
We have to earn our points, not be politically correct!
I am finally back in my hotel room, leaving a long day behind. My room is sparse and quiet, but as I close my eyes, it is quickly filled with vivid voices, faces and stories that I have collected throughout ...
The impact so far
My experience in Hungary has been amazing so far. From the first meeting at the JCC for pizza, I immediately connected with the Hungarian students at Scheiber Sandor Gimnazium. The activities we did ...
