It's been a while since I've blogged, but last night I presented my Centropa experience to my shul (synagogue) in Baltimore and I though I'd write about it a bit.
Due to the makeup of the membership, my audience was mostly older people, with a smattering of the "under-40 youth". It was pretty intimidating being up in front of people who have experienced so much more than me in life, and probably lived through some of the history that I was going to present. What worried me most, though, was that they wouldn't get my jokes.
But things went well. While some of the jokes flopped (maybe they weren't funny?), the material really presented itself. I entitled my lecture "Revival of Jewish Life in Austria and Hungary" and spoke about the Jewish life that I encountered while over in that part of the world. While I only planned on speaking for a half hour, I actually took an hour.
After the Q and A people came up to me to tell me about themselves and where they fit within the story. A few of the people told me that they were from that region (mostly Hungary and Romania) before the war. Another man reminisced about his time in Vienna when he was in the army in 1967. One woman, of Polish descent, told me just what my grandmother would have said: I will never go back to Poland (and I can't blame her).
Miriam's (Danica) story blew me away, and I would love to find out more... I had mentioned the phenomenon of kids in the FSU (former Soviet Union) who grew up not knowing that they were Jewish. She told me that, until the age of 14, she had not known that she was Jewish. She said that my presentation meant a lot to her because it showed others that these Jews are out there. We talked for a little bit afterwards, but I was too nervous to ask her for the whole story. She left me with a phone number and an offer of help if I needed it to translate any Hungarian.
All in all, a worthwhile experience.
Due to the makeup of the membership, my audience was mostly older people, with a smattering of the "under-40 youth". It was pretty intimidating being up in front of people who have experienced so much more than me in life, and probably lived through some of the history that I was going to present. What worried me most, though, was that they wouldn't get my jokes.
But things went well. While some of the jokes flopped (maybe they weren't funny?), the material really presented itself. I entitled my lecture "Revival of Jewish Life in Austria and Hungary" and spoke about the Jewish life that I encountered while over in that part of the world. While I only planned on speaking for a half hour, I actually took an hour.
After the Q and A people came up to me to tell me about themselves and where they fit within the story. A few of the people told me that they were from that region (mostly Hungary and Romania) before the war. Another man reminisced about his time in Vienna when he was in the army in 1967. One woman, of Polish descent, told me just what my grandmother would have said: I will never go back to Poland (and I can't blame her).
Miriam's (Danica) story blew me away, and I would love to find out more... I had mentioned the phenomenon of kids in the FSU (former Soviet Union) who grew up not knowing that they were Jewish. She told me that, until the age of 14, she had not known that she was Jewish. She said that my presentation meant a lot to her because it showed others that these Jews are out there. We talked for a little bit afterwards, but I was too nervous to ask her for the whole story. She left me with a phone number and an offer of help if I needed it to translate any Hungarian.
All in all, a worthwhile experience.
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