Marom Budapest Coordinator featured in JTA Article We are proud of Adam Schoenberger, coordinator of Marom Hungary, for his outstanding work in reaching out to young adults in Budapest. Adam was featured in an article by JTA, which we have copied below. For the full article, go to: http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?intarticleid=16166&intcategoryid=2
AROUND THE JEWISH WORLD
From Poland to Serbia, young Jewshelp rebuild shattered communities
By Dinah Spritzer
photo by Ruth Ellen Gruber
Adam Schoenberger, leader of Budapest’s Conservative youth movement and founder of a pioneering Jewish Web magazine, stands beside a poster for a Chanukah party he organized.
PRAGUE, Jan. 2 (JTA) — .........
Adam Schoenberger is lucky: As a rabbi’s son, he has always known what it meant to be Jewish.
Growing up among some 80,000-100,000 Jews in Budapest, being Jewish was not an oddity for Schoenberger. Nonetheless, he was aware that young Jews in Hungary aren’t very active in Jewish communal life.
Schoenberger, 25, sought to change that. Two years ago he became leader of Marom, the Conservative youth movement and the newest organization for young Jewish adults in the Hungarian capital.
“What I saw was that there were no options for young Jewish people to have Jewish-themed cultural experiences, so we at Marom started to do big events, like klezmer concerts and a Chanukah festival where 800 people turned up,” he said.
He partly credits the event’s popularity to the fact that attendees were not asked if they were Jewish and didn’t have to be a member of any Jewish organization.
“After communism we are really individualistic; people don’t want to join organizations,” he noted. “I wanted to think of other ways to connect people to Judaism.”
Schoenberger helped start a Jewish theater and founded a hip-hop band that sings about Jewish life in Hebrew. He writes the lyrics. The band is called Hagesher, which means “the bridge” in Hebrew.
“We sing about the energy that you need to give to the community because it can still be a bit depressing after communism,” he said. “The most important contribution I can make to Jewish life is to show everyone how colorful and culturally rich the Jewish tradition is.”
Marom sponsors lectures about Jewish history, Talmud, psychology and anthropology, and offers a Friday-night Kiddush.
“The main thing is that we are tolerant and pluralistic,” Schoenberger said. “If someone on Sabbath wants to smoke a cigarette, then that’s his prerogative. And we have gender equality,” a concept that is still novel in the former Eastern Bloc.
Schoenberger’s emphasis on inclusiveness caught the attention of Mircea Chernov, one of the JDC’s deputy directors in Hungary.
“He does not create borders, but breaks them down. In a country like Hungary, where young people like to talk about change but act just like the older generation, Adam is a role model,” Chernov said. “I think he’s the example that our Jewish community leaders in Hungary would do well to follow.”
When he’s not rapping or writing a libretto for alternative theater, Schoenberger studies comparative literature and linguistics at Hungary’s University of Pec.
Perhaps it’s his breadth of interests that led to his latest accomplishment: Two months ago Marom launched the country’s first Jewish Web magazine, Pilpul, which in Hebrew denotes a fiery means of Talmudic debate.
The magazine is devoted to culture and politics. The latest issue tackles feminism, reggae and the sociological aspects of soccer.
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To read entire article on the JTA site, go to: http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?intarticleid=16166&intcategoryid=2
Marom UK: Israeli Movie Night a Success Understanding that it is important to show other sides of Israel beyond the Israeli Palestinian conflict, it was decided to show Israeli movies as a joint AMS and MAROM event. Over 35 young people attended a showing of "Turn Left at the End of the World". Due to the success of the evening, the organizers, Marom UK coordinator Roni Tabick and AMS shaliach, Assael Romanelli, have already made plans for further such events.
NOAM / MAROM / KOACH Shabbat in Jerusalem By Carmiel Frutkoff, NOAM Israel Chapter Coordinator On Shabbat Vayigash (Jan. 6-7) a special Masorti event took place in Jerusalem. 200 participants from NOAM Israel, NOAM UK, Marom Israel, the KOACH birthright group, the Conservative Yeshiva and USY Nativ's program gathered at the Fuchsberg Center and participated in Kabbalat Shabbat services together at Congregation Moreshet Yisrael. There was a wonderful atmosphere during the tefillah.
After the service NOAM Israel and the NOAM UK year course ("Drachim") joined together for Shabbat dinner, this being the first of hopefully many joint activities in the future. I spent the Shabbat with the KOACH group as part of the Marom Israel /KOACH USA mifgash. The get together of the two groups was a great success.
Marom UKBudapest Seminar in February Spend the weekend in Budapest with Marom UK, Marom Budapest and Rabbi
Chaim Weiner. We will explore the city and discover the birthplace of Judaism’s denominations and where we, as Masorti Jews, stand on the ideological map. We’ll celebrate a wonderful Shabbat together. If you can stay a bit longer, experience a huge Tu Bishvat party, organized by Marom Budapest, with hundreds of people from around the world!
Accommodation, meals and an excellent program, provided by Rabbi Weiner, are all included.
There are limited spaces, so book now. Dates: 10-12th of February ‘05 Cost: £150 not including flights
For more information, contact Assael Romanelli (Masorti shaliach to UK) assael@masorti.org.uk
