Szarvas Empowerment Initiative: Campers to Leaders

In fact, since its inaugural summer in 1990, the Lauder/JDC International Jewish Summer Camp in Szarvas, Hungary has more than remained true to its original mission of creating a uniquely Jewish and incredibly fun summer experience. It has also opened up unimagined possibilities for communities in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltics, and the former Soviet Union through programs like the Szarvas Empowerment Initiative, launched in 2003.

In its earliest years, Szarvas offered Jewish youth from the former Communist Bloc their very first exposure to Jewish life — and often, to other Jews their age. Alumni soon became active in burgeoning communal activity back home, furthering the Jewish renaissance that had gripped the region.

Today, that first generation of campers has come of age, and their connections with Szarvas continue to inspire year-round Jewish activism. Encouraged by JDC, many alumni have also parlayed their camp experiences into successful turns as madrichim (counselors) for children growing up in the second post-Communist decade.

"If somebody is ‘infected’ with the Szarvas virus," says Bertok, 27, a former camper and counselor, "he has no chance (nor the will) to escape his Judaism." In addition to playing an active role in local Jewish programming in Budapest, Hungary, Bertok now returns to camp each summer as a unit head.

In order to leverage the impact that the summer experience has on these youngsters, JDC has created the innovative Szarvas Empowerment Initiative. An exclusive, three-year training cycle for young leaders with a proven record of commitment to the camp and to their communities, the Empowerment Initiative formalizes a continuum that alumni from Bulgaria to Kaliningrad call "the Szarvas life."

Geared to prepare participants — about 15 per cycle — for a lifetime of Jewish leadership, each program year offers training seminars and hands-on experiences that hone interpersonal and practical skills. Szarvas is "home base" for most programming, which is organized by JDC’s community-building team together with a senior Jewish educator, a psychologist and the camp director.

The first year of each cycle strengthens basic Jewish knowledge and provides specialized training for camp unit heads. "My Jewish identity is stronger than ever," reflects Samu, a Hungarian participant for whom the opportunity has proven invaluable. "I work as a unit head each summer because I’m ready to give all these values to others."

For JDC, the Empowerment Initiative is also an investment in the young leaders who have "grown up" together at Szarvas. Years two and three of the program, then, take that Szarvas connection back into the communities — and into the future. Participants develop team-building, administrative and motivational skills for youth work, and explore possibilities for lay and professional leadership roles.

With the end of a cycle, graduates of the Szarvas Empowerment Initiative are all well-positioned to create regional and worldwide networks that will strengthen global Jewry. As Elek says proudly, "Without the camp, I am not sure I could feel the meaning and importance of being ‘am echad, lev echad’ — one people, one heart."