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Being a Counselor at Szarvas: "For the Joy of the Children"
After surviving World War Two, Gyuri’s grandparents made traditional Jewish values the essence of family life at their home in Budapest, Hungary. Even throughout the Communist era, they attended synagogue on major holidays and managed to create a warm Jewish atmosphere for their two daughters, and later, for their grandchildren.
For Gyuri, that solid background nurtured a strong sense of Jewish identity. "Behaving like a Jew was never strange," he says. "To be Jewish was a natural thing." With the country’s transition to democracy, Gyuri began attending a new Jewish day school where he studied Jewish history, literature, and religion. But his individual commitment to leading a fully Jewish life and to serving the Jewish community were nurtured during his summers as a camper at the Lauder/JDC International Jewish Summer Camp in Szarvas. "I didn’t really care about what exactly the camp programs were," he admits. "I just loved to be in Jewish company." That feeling intensified when Gyuri entered university, where discussions about Jewish topics were rare and he often felt out of place. Though he worked as a madrich (counselor) with a Jewish youth group year-round, it was his ongoing connection with Szarvas that gave him the self-confidence he needed to thrive as a Jewish student in an entirely non-Jewish setting. As the years passed, the summers at camp continued to provide Gyuri with meaningful exposure to new Jewish subjects and ideas about Jewish culture and tradition. He became a madrich, and soon discovered that the best thing that he had to offer the campers was his ability as a counselor to create an exciting Jewish experience that the children would never forget. Today, Gyuri — 22 years of age — works in the Balint Jewish Community Center in Budapest and is active in a grassroots Jewish educational initiative during the year, all while completing his university studies. "Now my Jewish identity is stronger than ever, and my knowledge is good enough," he offers. "But I work as a unit head for the Hungarian children each summer because I’m ready to give all these values to others." Gyuri’s personal growth through Szarvas is also part of a process that has taken him full circle back to his own days as a camper. "I’ve learned that the joy of the children is most important," he exclaims. "And that is why we are here." |
