Some Meshugas

9/18

I have now been in Hungary for 4 nights, although it feels like 2 weeks. It’s hard to believe that this past weekend was only my first Shabbat here.

When I first arrived, Linda and Rabbi Tomi picked me up from the airport and brought me straight to the JDC-Hungary office. The office is a part of a larger complex that contains many of the offices related to jobs in the Jewish community. The block also includes the second largest synagogue in the world, and is the site of Herzl’s birthplace. 

Everyone in the JDC office was very nice. The first and most urgent order of business was to book me an apartment, which Linda had been searching for, and JDC is supposed to pay for. The thing is, the Hungarian housing market is so intense that you can’t tell an owner you’re interested, or even very interested, without actually making the deal. Moreover, you can’t even just sign your contract and be done with it. You need to show up with 2 months rent as a security deposit, and your first month’s rent. You need all of that money in CASH no later than the day after visiting the apartment. Because my visa isn’t worked out (and won’t be for a few months.. but that’s a story for another post), I am not yet an official JDC employee. But even more complicated is that my fellowship is through JDC-Entwine, and JDC-Hungary expressed great ambivalence about withdrawing such a large sum of cash for someone with whom they have no contractual relationship. JDC-Hungary answers to JDC-Europe, so they needed to appeal to those bosses for the cash, but those bosses were having a conference in JDC-Israel. Ultimately, they were able to secure me the cash by having me sign a loan agreement (which will be repaid internally by JDC), and I carried 3/4 of a million forints in my backpack to sign my apartment. 

My apartment is a really nice, renovated, modern apartment in a nice part of town, and it will be very nice to finally move in and unpack my belongings. In the meantime, I stayed in a single apartment that someone at the JDC office happened to own, and was gracious to let me stay there. The kitchen is under renovation, so there was no wifi and no working kitchen. Still, I had a bed and a bathroom. 

Tonight, I will move in to the new apartment, which has wifi, a working kitchen, and furniture. I will work over the course of the week to fill it with many basics, including food, bedding, and kitchen appliances. There is an IKEA here and various other shops around the city. I'm looking forward to feeling settled in my own place and starting to develop a sense of routine.

What is the JDC?

9/11/16

I know I'm double dipping today, but I have yet to reveal this blog to anyone but my mom and dad, so I figured this post could be helpful for when I invite others to start their perusing.

Although I am an employee of the JDC (Joint Distribution Committee) this year, I do not pretend to know the full spiel that their marketing department might prepare. They do have tons of incredible PR and literature out there for those looking to do some homework.

I'll just give some background that will help gain a better understanding of my job this year and how it fits into the broader picture of the JDC. The JDC (sometimes colloquially called "The Joint") is a Jewish-American humanitarian organization that aims to strengthen the security, community, and general experience of world Jewry. As the world and the state of world Jewry have evolved over the last century, so has their work. However, as crises befell the Jewish people, such as the rise of the Third Reich, the oppression of the Iron Curtain, and discrimination following the creation of the State of Israel, the Joint was on the ground working to provide for the needs of the many affected communities. They continue to operate heavily in Israel, in the post-Soviet world, and around the whole globe, also serving non-Jewish communities, notably in relief situations. I really do encourage you to research further the tremendous work that the Joint does. Some employees that I met at the New York office decided to work for the JDC because the JDC rescued their family from some sort of oppression many years and miles away, and they now want to join that holy work whose mission revolves around the Talmudic principle: "Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba'zeh," or "All of Israel is responsible for one another."

My fellowship is a part of the Entwine wing of the JDC. Through Entwine, JDC hopes to engage young Jewish leaders through service trips of varying lengths. My Fellowship, the Jewish Service Corps (JSC), is the longest amount of time of service that an Entwine program offers. When I studied at HebrewU, I volunteered once a week  throught a JDC-Entwine & HebrewU partnership with a Jerusalem family whose parents were both blind through. In fact, that service got me on the email list, which is where I heard about the Jewish Service Corps and decide to apply.

The Jewish Service Corps has 22 Fellows this year (I'm pretty sure...) who serve in countries around the world in which JDC operates. Four will be at a youth village in Rwanda, a handful will be in Israel, one in South America, two in India, and the rest in Europe. I am one of about 9 BBYO fellows. BBYO and the JDC collaborate because of their shared vision of Jewish engagement abroad, and they created a formal partnership through the Jewish Service Corps to leverage BBYO's youth engagement platform and resources as well as the JDC's fellowship.

BBYO-Hungary began just a year ago, but they already have dozens of eager teens (and preteens) showing up. As I begin my work and meet the community and the teens, I will be able to share more about the vision and goals of their chapter. Needless to say, it sounds like an incredible community.

As I refer to JDC or BBYO as I blog in the future, hopefully this gives a general overview of the organization and how my position as a JSC Fellow fits into the much broader JDC umbrella.

Pre-Departure Check in

9/11/16

This isn't my first "official" post, since I'm sitting at home in my living room watching the Bears. However, this otherwise ordinary Sunday is filled with the added pressures of packing and continuing to mentally prepare for my move to Budapest.

I received this video this morning from my new friends in Hungary:

My supervisor, Linda, told me that the kids are a little nervous about the fact that I speak only English (and no Hungarian). She is having them prepare three sentences about themselves in English as an introduction. I'm sure it will be tough for both of us at first to adjust to the communication barrier, but we will all adjust and find the best ways to communicate. 

I will arrive in Budapest on Wednesday afternoon, and Linda will pick me up from the airport and bring me to my apartment. There is a shopping mall full of familiar stores nearby, and even an IKEA not too far. I'm sure I will spend my first few days unpacking, acclimating, filling my apartment with the basics, and otherwise settling in. I have no idea exactly what my schedule will look like or where I will be for Shabbat, but I'm sure it will become more clear soon.

I will do my best to keep people updated about my experience, including some of the day-by-day happenings, as well as my reflections as I join what seems like an absolutely remarkable Jewish community, through my work with BBYO-Hungary and the JDC.

Goodbye for now, or as google translate tells me: Ég veled!