Four Richmond couples – Rabbi Scott and Rabbi Randi Nagel, Andrew and Danielle Baker,  Avi and Catherine Remetz and, Justin and Vanessa Tussey -  traveled to Budapest, Hungary, as part of the Honeymoon Israel RVA experience in early May.

Due to the timing and flight cancellations to Israel, the program was thoughtfully redirected to Budapest, offering a meaningful opportunity to explore the city’s rich cultural landscape and to engage deeply with its vibrant and resilient Jewish community.

Avi Remetz, JCFR Director, Philanthropy and Engagement (NextGen), noted, “Everyone came away feeling grateful for the experience, for the relationships built along the way, and for the chance to experience Budapest—a city that feels both deeply historic and full of life, where even a simple walk along the Danube can be unforgettable.”

He added, “Budapest is home to one of the largest and most historically significant Jewish populations in Europe. Participants experienced firsthand the history of Hungarian Jewry—from the magnificence of the Dohány Street Synagogue, the largest in Europe, to the moving memorials along the Danube river that honor those lost during the Holocaust.”

Avi continued, “At the same time, they encountered a dynamic and revitalized modern Jewish life, including innovative cultural institutions like Budapest’s JCC Balint Haz, active synagogues, and a thriving community of young leaders shaping Jewish identity in contemporary Hungary. As part of their engagement with the local community, the group also participated in a meaningful volunteer effort, preparing sandwiches for individuals experiencing homelessness, further grounding their experience in shared values of service and compassion.”

Rabbi Randi Nagel offered the following thoughtful and passionate D’var on the Budapest experience during Havdalah.

“Budapest is a city where history doesn't just sit in museums; it breathes in the narrow streets of the Jewish Quarter and echoes off the stones of the Dohány Street Synagogue (see photo). This past week has been a powerful immersion into a culture that isn't just surviving, but actively thriving and reclaiming its space. While we cannot romanticize the experience—as challenges and complexities remain—there is something profoundly familiar in that struggle; it has been the Jewish way for millennia to build and flourish amidst uncertainty. As the sun sets and we begin the Havdallah ceremony, marking the transition from the sacred to the mundane, we hope to carry the "extra soul" of this Hungarian Shabbat back home with us. This spirit of endurance is captured in the essence of Avigdor Hameiri (1890–1970), a seminal Hungarian-Jewish poet and author who bridged the worlds of Old Europe and the emerging spirit of Israel. His work reflects the bittersweet reality of the transition from the holy to the everyday,”

"The wine overflows, the spices are sweet,

But the fire of the candle is brief.

In the shadows of the Danube, the soul lingers,

Tasting the salt of the past and the honey of tomorrow.

We do not leave the light behind;

We carry the spark in our palms,

Walking into the dark of the week,

Until the gates open once more."

• Avigdor Hameiri