It is hard to have a clear vision, as we have just started our Moishe house a month ago in Budapest, but it is clear from the reaction of people that it is something everyone has been waiting for, without knowing what it is they were lacking! A positive thing about the first month is to see that people understand the idea of COMMUNITY space and they do not expect everything to be done by us, but they actively contribute to the programs – with bringing food from home, preparing food in our kitchen, helping to clean up the apartment, giving lectures, leading prayers, giving ideas for new programs and so on. This may be not so peculiar in other countries and cultures – such as the US – but it is a genuine development in the attitude of people, prepared by several years of similar events at Sirály and Marom.
I don’t want to say that our parents’ generation did not care for each other and did not have the feeling of community. In some respect they had much more of an experience about it, there were less “differences” and more uniting ideologies and events for them. It is exactly after 1989 that this “community feeling” suddenly disappeared, became even looked down on, and the younger generations including myself fall in some kind of a vacuum, ruled by individualism and freedom of choice. Of course, we need to add that under the socialism the community ideal was more just to belong to the group and be similar, and it was not so much about what is more needed now in the Jewish and in the Hungarian (civic) society in general today: voluntarism and own contribution let it be material or immaterial, so that people understand that a community is a huge building built from stones, and each stone has its place. And if now we have started to build the basis of the “western wall” in one year I hope to have built the equivalent of the existing one in Jerusalem, and in five years being close to reconstruct the Temple. I know it is very ambitious, and its sounds pathetic, but we are young, crazy and committed! Hashana haba b’Yerushalaim - Next year in Jerusalem!
Budapest Moishe house impacts:
*the Budapest Jewish community becomes more international (having international guests, connection with other Moishe houses) that enables it to be inspired by other young Jewish communities, to learn from them and show them our world
*we contribute to the establishment of a responsible and conscious young Jewry in Hungary
*our programs raise factual knowledge about Judaism among young adults
*we provide community experiences for young adults, celebrating Jewish holidays on alternative ways being their second homes
*other young people would like to join our example and they establish similar houses on their own and / or the number of people living in the Moishe House Budapest will be raised to 5-7
*Budapest Moishe house’s life will be documented and included in literary, theatrical, academic and journalistic writings
* Budapest Moishe house will be the symbol and melting pot of young, creative, responsible Jews in Budapest
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