I returned from one of the most meaningful pilgrimage trip in my life, and now I try to write down the experience, which made me deeply different. Experience, what we have prepared for long-long time, after plenty times of prayer, meetings, organize… I am after these all, and from the darkness finally appeared a ray of life, of hope, and in it’s small texture has been drawn long time, but a real ray only realized now. This hope is nothing else but the chance for peace for next generations also, peace, which not happening by self, but need to fight for. I lisstened a European young girl’s comment, and I could’nt get rid from my mind: „there was never ever war in our country and never can happen either.” Where is this confidence coming from? How young generation could think that nothing will change in Europe? It is clearly a fake confession, because forget to remember, remember the bloodsheds of XX. century history, our close past. There is a generation also, who forget to make their own kids remember. I have partcipated a seminar with my old and new friends in Budapest and in Krakkow. The four days program’s highest moment was our commemoration of the Victims of Nazi Europe in the memorial site Auschwitz-Birkenau.
More than six years ago, I got inspiration with some of my friends to found an Association, and made peacemaking as highest goal in Hungarian Society, include our christian heritage and spirituality. In the very begining of our long adventerous journey, we met many organizations, and among them some finnish chritians, who were deeply involved in hungarian jewish communities everyday life. Through them we started to visit and see communities in Budapest, and we realized the problems of our society more and more, and the problem's roots from our history. Separation, miscommunication is belonging to the afterwar situation, and the unspoken, untold past is sitting heavily ont he neck of christians, jews, romas, hungarians. We realized, that need peacemaking work and for this we need to make strong efforts, and it can cause a lot of fight.
The program happened during 20-23 of August, organized by a bunch of civil associations, has a goal of reconciliation and remembrance. In the opening ceremony of the seminar, Tristan Azbej held us an unforgottable speech. He was representing Hungarian Government, as he is the Deputy State Secretary of the Prime Minister’s office in connection of helping persecuted christians. We sat in the opening dinner in one table together with representatives of roma communities, conservative youngs from Israel, hungarian jewish community leaders, hungarian christian associations leaders, and christiandemocrat youngs from Hungary. This interesting table community is an exciting phenomenon itself, but also challenge for the organizers. To talk about peace in pathetic meetings are easy, but to have a dinner with people, gives a real friendship atmosphere with a glas of good wine. We celebrated also together Hungarian National Day by visitng National Museum.
The Seminar continued with a bus trip to Poland. On the way to Krakkow, we stoped in Mád, where we visited the newly renovated Synagogue and Rabbi House. We remembered the missing jewish community, totally murdered there. We lisstened the story of their life before war, and their great achievements on studies and wine making.
After arriving to our Hotel, we had dinner in the downtown of Krakkow. In the third day of our program, we had a whole day guided tour in Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial site. I felt deep sorrow and emptiness to lissten the stories of the deathcamp by our professional guide. We have seen original pictures of hungarian citizens, victims, took away their human dignities, pushed to cattle trains, robbed their belongings and took their life at the end… This kind of planned evil doing make in me questions at first, then sorrow, hopelessness. I cried at the begining, but later on the tour I only tried to make sure inside me ,that this people didnot suffered too much, but the reality hits me: no mercy, no help was for them.
Our remembrance ceremony held at the Birkenau train station, where our israeli friends have read about their lost family members, and memories from books. These youngs are the bravest people, I ever seeen in my life. Real heroes, who has the courage to come the murder place of their own families, and even talk. The more hard for me also to think: they come to reconciliate with european christians, who are the posible grandchildrens of perpatraitors, jewish savers, or silent standbyers. They also came to find new friends: this is fullfilled, and I could tell in the name of all participants, that we find real new friends in them, and was an honor to share this remembrance with them. We closed our ceremony with the roma people’s group prayer and song, held in the Memorial site of Roma and Sinti victims. In the last day, we also visit a hungarian startup center in Budapest, and the European Day of Memorial program about totalitarian victims.
Program organized and represented by: Young Conservatives of Israel, Hungarian Voluntary League, Care – Help – Support Association, Suburban Jewish Cultural Association, FONS International Oecumenical Association, Young Christiandemocrat Alliance Hungary.
Source: Prime Minister’s Office, MTI OS
Zoltán Tari
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