RECENT STORIES

Give blood this summer, it's already inside you ( Reggie Tomac )
Greenwood Village Pelican fishes without permit ( TwoIntents Guided Nature Tours and Gardening )
Police blotter: Business burglaries investigated ( YourHub.com )
Greenwood Village resident to attend CU Boulder ( Linda Ozawa )
Post Offices open July 3 - Many to close at Noon ( Steve Turner )

share a story | more postings »

YourHub.com \\ Greenwood Village \\ Stories \\ News \\ Nation/World

Trip to Budapest paves way for Jewish partnership

e-mail to a friend | print this | link to this

NEXT › ‹ PREVIOUS

Contributed by: Stacy Rivera on 11/8/2007

Sixteen lay leaders, representatives of Denver Jewish organizations, and staff members of the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado recently traveled to Budapest, Hungary to learn more about the newly formed partnership between Federation, its global partner, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), and the Jewish community of Hungary. The Partnership was created to help revitalize what was once one of the most vibrant and prosperous Jewish communities in the world.

"As a mature but growing Jewish community in Colorado, we face some of the same challenges in the areas of outreach, affiliation, and intermarriage as the Budapest Jewish community does," said mission participant Steve Morris, Federation's Jewish Philanthropy Center Chair and Annual Campaign Chair. "Although the Jewish population is large, the challenges of the last 60 years have led to a very low number of affiliated Jews in the city."

Until the last six weeks of World War II, Budapest was home to 800,000 Jews, comprising 25 percent of the city's population. But 600,000 Jewish citizens were wiped out by the Nazis and Hungarian collaborators before Soviet troops were able to liberate the city. And while Hungary remained under Communist control until 1989 Judaism was suppressed and practiced only in secret. Only in the past few years has the Jewish community been able to openly embrace its heritage and significance to the city. Of the estimated 130,000 Jews who live in Budapest, fewer than 10 percent, or roughly 12,000, are affiliated with local Jewish institutions.

Young Jewish adults are at the center of this resurgence of Jewish life. Working with the JDC and the established Jewish council, called the Mazsihisz, young pioneers have created programs and gathering places for the Jewish community. From the Balint Jewish Community Center, to the Lauder/JDC Summer Camp in Szarvas, which hosts 2,000 kids from 19 countries, to Shiraly, a coffee shop/concert hall/meeting place, a vibrant group of young leaders is bringing back the community from the brink of extinction. But the community needs guidance and funding.

"We can help them build their organizational structure, create outreach programs, and help them become more effective," added Morris.

"Our mentorship would be of great value to the Jewish community in Budapest," said mission participant Amy Toltz-Miller, Federation's Community Campaign Chair. "Their weakest link is in their lay leadership. Our priority should be providing leadership development to support the unbelievable work young leaders are doing there."

"Federation plans to help revitalize Jewish Hungary by providing funds and leadership training in the coming years," said Doug Seserman, President and CEO of Federation. "Our goal is to help Budapest increase affiliation, bolster the efficacy of local service providers and build lasting institutions for the Jewish community."

A gift to Federation's Israel/Global Fund may be directed to support this new partnership. For more information contact Susan Kramer, Chief Development Officer, at (303)316-6470, or via email at skramer@ajfcolorado.org.

The mission of Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado is to build and sustain Jewish life in Colorado, Israel and around the world. Last year, Federation raised more than $14.4 million, which was, in turn, allocated to dozens of charitable organizations across Colorado, throughout the United States, and around the world. Those funds support life-saving and life-enhancing initiatives that make a difference in the lives of millions of people in-need, both locally and globally.

[Report this as objectionable content.]

SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above story

Talk Back : submit comments to the story

*Note: you need to log-in to add a comment or rating.

Thank you! Your comment has been updated.

CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Stacy Rivera

Denver , CO

Stacy Rivera has posted 49 stories and 0 comments since joining on 3/6/2007. Stacy Rivera 's average story rating is 5.

view profile » view other postings from Stacy Rivera »

SAVE AND SHARE THIS STORY

STORY RSS FEEDS

All stories

All stories in Greenwood Village

All stories by Stacy Rivera

WANT TO WRITE FOR YOURHUB.COM?

Want to see the stories you write and the photos you shoot featured in the YourHub.com Thursday print section available all over the Front Range and with home subscriptions of the The Denver Post? All you have to do is register, then post a story or column, start a blog or tell everyone what events are happening in town. We will print the best stories, columns, event listings, photos and blog entries in our print sections.

Loading Ad