Monday, January 6, 2014

Back to Hungary

I'm heading to Hungary tonight to work for a few days with our professionals and leaders there on storytelling and mission staffing.

I've written a fair bit about Hungary in the past: the weight of Jewish history there, and the difference between engagement and outreach in the community, and what they tell us about our future horizons there.
The grappling with history, and all that it entails, is pretty weighty stuff.

I'm optimistic. For a number of reasons, which I've looked at in the past.

But also because there's something about the Hungarian Jewish community that fascinates me. Unlike pretty much any other Jewish community in the world, the Hungarian community isn't an "immigrant" one. The national component of Jewish identity is unique, vibrant and very autonomous.
We talk about the uprooting and rebirth of Jewish life, migrations and reinventions. Hungary is an important exception. There's a lot for us to learn there.


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