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"Connecting Horizons" Across the Traditional East-West Divide: 4th Annual Danube Weinberg Event in Hungary
What do a music student from Hungary, a drama teacher from Germany, a marketing associate from Austria, and a student from Slovakia have in common? In this era of globalization, probably quite a bit. Yet what motivated them and 150 of their peers from over 10 countries to spend the first long weekend of the summer together was a force that preceded globalization by more than 2,000 years—their Jewish heritage.
The desire to engage young Jews in Eastern Europe inspired the launch of the Weinberg Danube initiative by JDC three years ago with the generous contribution and support of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. Exceeding all expectations in numbers and Jewish engagement, these young people are not only rediscovering their Judaism, but are leading the way into the future. This year's Danube Weinberg Regional event was organized by JDC in partnership with the JCC and Marom, a Conservative Jewish Youth organization which had recently converted a public venue into a coffee shop and cultural center that is reaching a large number of previously unaffiliated Jews. According to Diego, Director of the Danube Weinberg Region, the main goal of the event was to provide a new pluralistic framework where Jewish creativity and new initiatives encourage more youngsters to act and shape their own programs. Building on the two previous events in Prague and in Vienna, this initiative has connected groups of young people from Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany Hungary, Israel, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland who today are initiating their own programs, transcending geographical boundaries. Gathered on the shores of Lake Balaton for three days of workshops and educational activities, participants chose among diverse seminars including Israeli politics, folk dancing, film screenings, drama, biblioyoga, and discussions on Jewish identity. 
When asked what attracted him to the event, Dima, a 27-year-old Jewish Studies major from Vienna responded, "This is one of the few opportunities I have to meet other young Jews in such a relaxed yet educational Jewish environment."
And like the event’s name suggests—"Connecting Horizons"—the gathering of young Jews from so many countries helps forge relationships between the two regions and overcome the traditional East-West divide. "I have never met a Hungarian Jew, or a Jew from Slovakia," shared Oda from Switzerland, "but in the past few days I learned so much about what it’s like to be Jewish in that part of the world." As the EU is forming and national walls are coming down, young Jews are returning to the roots so long denied them and availing themselves of many new and dynamic ways to connect to Judaism. JDC is partnered with these emerging communities to create numerous gateways to Jews of all ages reconnecting with, or simply discovering, their Jewish identity. This trend was illustrated by the success of the "Walk on Water" session, led by actor and yoga instructor, Marcus Freed. Participants rode pedal boats and formed a circle on the lake while Marcus spoke about the human search for the spiritual parallel to water. "As water sustains life in a physical sense," explained Marcus, "the Torah sustains life in a spiritual sense." The session drew on sections from the bible illustrating the thirst for spiritual realization and knowledge. After a powerful moment of enlightened discussion, those who took part in the activity triumphantly proclaimed it as "The First Floating Yeshiva in Europe." Mirroring the pluralistic and embracing nature of the seminar, participants also had the option to select from an Orthodox, Conservative and Alternative Kabalat Shabbat service. David, a 21-year-old Hungarian appreciated the laid-back, welcoming atmosphere of his first-ever Shabbat experience. "I was a little apprehensive in the beginning, convinced I would look silly in front of others," he shared. "But the alternative service introduced the meaning of Shabbat in a graspable manner." To conclude the event, a group of Russian-born participants from Germany staged a lively theatrical performance that kept the audience on the edge of their seats. These young actors of the Jewish theatre in Munich are a testimony to the revival of Jewish life currently underway in that community, owing largely to the massive influx of Jews from the FSU. Emboldened by the regional experience, participants left inspired to launch meaningful initiatives in their own communities that will further attest to the vitality of the Jewish spirit. "We are constantly defining and redefining ourselves as a People," noted one of the participants, "and it is important to keep the dialogue alive." July 2007 |
