Hungary -- Hard Times for Budapest Jewish Summer Festival

Banner during the Festival in 2009. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

Deutsche Welle runs a report about hard times, financial and other, hitting the annual Jewish Summer Festival in Budapest.

Hungary's Jewish Summer Festival takes place this year in the shadow of economic gloom and extremism plaguing this EU nation of some 10 million people.

Under the current center-right government, the festival's budget was slashed and the city of Budapest reduced its financial support by 70 percent to five million forints (about 18,500 euros or $26,700).

"Despite the economic difficulties, we tried to organize the festival," explained Gusztav Zoltai, executive director of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary. He pledged the program would be so good "that the public does not notice we have financial problems."

[....]

Budapest Klezmer Band ... member Ferenc Javori hopes music and culture will ease tensions in Hungary's troubled society.

That seems necessary since Hungary has been rocked by anti-Semitism. Several festival posters were painted over with swastikas and slogans such as "Jews go home," for example.

Earlier in August, the Sziget Music Festival saw scores of neo-Nazi and far-right activists trying to storm the Budapest event, which they viewed as organized by Jews and anti-Hungarian investors.

Police detained several demonstrators, including a prominent parliamentarian of the rightist Movement for a Better Hungary, or Jobbik. Earlier, thousands of neo-Nazis from across Europe gathered at their own Magyar Sziget, or Hungarian Island festival in the village of Veroce, just north of Hungary's capital.

Among those performing there was far-right Swedish singer Saga, singing for neo-Nazi and other extremists, who were waving flags and giving the Hitler salute.

 See full story by clicking HERE

Diamond Tony's Restaurant at 85th Floor of Taipei 101, Taiwan

We been invited by a friend from Taiwan to the Diamond Tony's Restaurant at 85th Floor of Taipei 101 (N25.03313 E121.56510) for dinner on our 4th day of Taiwan trip. I believe reservation is needed if you intend to dine in.

Diamond Tony's Restaurant at Taipei 101

The environment was perfect with soft music and especially the night view of Taipei City. But we were not in the luck that night because of the whole city was covered by mist...

I was amazed by the washroom design! You can even enjoy the city night view while you doing your business! :)

After about 30 minutes after our ordered, the first dish served on our table...it was the mushroom soup with bread.

Mushroom Soup with Bread

I was surprised with the portion of the bread! Anyway, the soup was rich and good with the bread.



After we finished chatting for about 15 minutes, the second course served...Bacon with vegetables.

Third course...(apologies! I forgot the name of the dish...some kind of abalone...)

Fourth course...The Sausage.

And here was the main course...The Beef.

Main course - Beef.  

(Apologies for the blur photo)

The last was the dessert...Chocolate cake.

The Chocolate cake

We were satisfied with the meals over here. Some of the dishes were just average, but the environment is the main attraction of the restaurant! (Too bad we saw nothing that night...)

Anyway, we were thankful for the dinner which provided by a friend, appreciated. We visited the Shilin night market again after the overloaded dinner! :)



Apologies for the blur and yellowish photos above.

Taipei 101 of Taiwan

Related post :-
*  My Taiwan Trip on May, 2011

Location map of Taipei 101, Taiwan

View Larger Map

Slovakia -- My Ruthless Cosmopolitan column about Slovakia

In Slovakia, being strategic about preserving Jewish heritage

By Ruth Ellen Gruber · August 28, 2011

Maros Borsky, vice president of the Bratislava Jewish community, standing in the Orthodox synagogue in Zilina, Slovakia. The shul is one of the sites on his Slovak Jewish Heritage Route. (Ruth Ellen Gruber)

RUTHLESS COSMOPOLITAN

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (JTA) -- In 1989, on the eve of the fall of communism, the American poet Jerome Rothenberg published a powerful series of poems called "Khurbn" that dealt with the impact of the Holocaust on Eastern Europe.

In one section, he recorded conversations he had had in Poland with local people who had little recollection of the flourishing pre-war Jewish presence.

"Were there once Jews here?" the poem goes. "Yes, they told us, yes they were sure there were, though there was no one here who could remember. What was a Jew like? they asked.


"No one is certain still if they exist."


I often think of this poem when I travel to far-flung places in Eastern and Central Europe, and it was certainly on my mind on a trip to Slovakia this August.



That's because yes, there are still Jews here, and the post-Communist revival has reinvigorated Jewish communities in the region.



But also, despite this, numbers are still so small that even in many places where Jews once made up large parts of the population, Jewish history and heritage have been, or run the risk of being, forgotten.



"Look," my friend Maros Borsky reminded me in Bratislava. "Kids who were born after 1989 don't even remember communism."


Borsky is trying to do something about this -- which is why I was in Slovakia.


Read the entire story here.

European Day of Jewish Culture Next Sunday

By Ruth Ellen Gruber


Here's a reminder that the 12th edition of the annual European Day of Jewish Culture will take place next Sunday, September 4.

The schedule of events for many of the participating countries can be found HERE.

The theme this year is “EDJC 2.0: Facing the Future.”  As the web site puts it:

Jewish heritage in the era 2.0: new approaches to promotion and preservation using the new tools of communication, representation and exchange

The new era of communication has opened up a world of new possibilities for presenting and highlighting Jewish Culture and heritage.

Whether it is graphic design, videos, films, internet forums, etc., they all offer the opportunity of both a new view on already known aspects, and of tackling the subject in a totally different way, using the ever increasing facilities for sharing information interactively in a social media dialogue.

As usual, Italy is the most enthusiastic participant with a wide range of programming in more than 60 towns and cities up and down the peninsula. The main official events will take place in Siena.

Synagogues -- great new resource on Tumblr and Twitter

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

Thanks to Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett for turning me on to a wonderful new resource on synagogues -- a Twitter feed and also Tumblr blog called "A synagogue a day" that showcases daily images from the William A. Rosenthall Judaica Collection at the College of Charleston special collections.

The images include both historic and contemporary postcards and photographs of synagogues all over the world, interior and exterior shots. Worth a look to see the vast diversity of architecture -- and geographical spread!

Italy -- Italian Jewish Food lets you travel via your taste buds

Sign advertising kosher products in Pitigliano, Italy. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

If you can't hop over to Italy, you can "get a taste of Jewish Italy" by sampling  of the recipes of Italian Jewish dishes Joan Nathan spotlights in an article in Tablet Magazine. She also recommends a sampling of cookbooks featuring Italian Jewish cuisine.

If you want to dine less vicariously on Jewish Italian favorites -- there is a growing number of Jewish (even kosher) restaurants in Rome, Florence and elsewhere.

One of my favorites in Rome is called Ba' Ghetto -- it is in the old Ghetto neighborhood, around the corner from the main synagogue. Nice selection of local and Mediterranean Jewish food; relaxed but slightly upscale ambience.

Slovakia -- Trencin and the mixed emotions of visiting Jewish sites

Synagogue in Trencin, 1993. Monotype by Shirley Moskowitz (c) estate of Shirley Moskowitz

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

There usually comes a time when you visit sites of Jewish heritage in Eastern and Central Europe when the impact of the past -- the destruction wrought in the Holocaust -- breaks through and grabs you. I have experienced this often: I love looking at the synagogue buildings and admiring the architecture and recalling the richness of Jewish history and recognizing their importance to the cultural heritage of society at large and applauding the way that many by now have been restored for cultural use. Likewise when I thrill to the wonderful carving on Jewish gravestones and appreciate the creativity and aethestic verve that produced them. Still, I sometimes find myself unexpectedly choked up, even weeping.

I wrote about these contradictory feelings at length in the introduction to my book Jewish Heritage Travel.

And Rabbi Andrew Goldstein touched on this theme in the sermon he gave after our trip to Slovakia this month following the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route (which I posted HERE). That is why he and his wife, Sharon, held informal "services for synagogues" in a couple of the  synagogues we visited -- notably the still semi-ruined one in Liptovsky Mikulas and the Status Quo synagogue in Trnava, now an art gallery.

Sharon Goldstein chanting in the Trnava Status Quo synagogue. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

My friend, the wonderful (and wonderfully outspoken) musician Mark Rubin experienced this several years ago when he visited the Slovak town of Trencin and saw the magnificent synagogue there -- one of the most impressive buildings in town, besides the hilltop castle.

Trencin synagogue with hilltop castle in the background. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

Mark wrote a lengthy, eloquent -- and angry -- post about his feelings on his blog.

There indeed is a fine synagogue in Trencin, but there will be no shabbes here. There are no Jews here. The stark, sudden and complete realization that though this building may still stand and from the outside is beautiful and all, there are no Jews here to pray with. Not tonight, and probably never again I imagine. A wave of depression and sadness flushes over me. I mean what was I thinking? Jews must have prospered here, I mean why else would you have such a grand house of worship? Sure, as if after all the pogroms, the harassment by fascists from within and without, and then the gentle graces of the Soviets and their labor camps that there would be anyone left? These are the kind of things I see every time I head into the Eastern parts of Europe and this is just the sort of internal conversation I have with myself nearly every time. Much like a child finding out over and over again that there is no Santa Claus, I have to tell myself yet again; “Jews used to live here.”

I have to say that I have never bit hit by this feeling when in Trencin -- and the first time I was there was about 20 years ago. On the contrary, I have always regarded the magnificent synagogue there as a magnificent survivor. You can't undo the Holocaust. But in contrast to many other synagogues, the Trencin synagogue was always maintained in pretty good shape and regarded by the town as a key component of its urban core. As long as I have been going there, it has been marked with a plaque identifying it as a former synagogue -- and there has also long been a plaque commemorating the Jews of Trencin who were killed in the Holocaust: some 1,619 Jewish lived in the city in 1940, but only 326  survived the Holocaust. Also, the synagogue complex includes a small prayer room which is still used by the handful of Jews that still do live in the town.

Today, the huge sanctuary is used as the municipal art gallery. The art on display was, um, not the best. But the sanctuary has been restored and is maintained. The wonderful stained glass and the intense blue painting of the cupola have long been cared for -- but recent restoration work has uncovered polychrome decoration on the walls that had been painted over in white. It's not sure whether this is going to be recovered.

Above photos (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

Dessert Shop at Jiufen Old Street, Taiwan

We had a rest at this Dessert Shop after we back to Jiufen Old Street. The shop was just located on the right of the Old Street entrance.

The choices of Taiwan Authentic Dessert

There were many choices and we just took the signature dessert of the shop. That was the yam ball, bean curd and syrup flavored with ginger. (TWD40 each)

I ordered the cold type to ease the thirst from the climbing up and down...:)

The lady boss preparing our desserts

The lady boss was nice and friendly and the shop was simple and clean. The dessert served on our table less than 10 minutes...

The Taiwan dessert

The dessert was nice and satisfied, the tasty yam balls was soft same as others...

There were many stalls selling the same dessert along the street and we cannot judge which is the best...

I cannot comment more on it because this was the Only shop we tasted.

Overall, all of us satisfied! After the dessert we will going to Taipei and leave this beautiful and peaceful small town. Well, I like this small town and I will be back!

The cute little girl running around when we had our dessert...she was really Cute!

Related post :-
*  My Taiwan Trip on May, 2011

Slovakia -- Rabbi Andrew Goldstein on Synagogues, Memory and Future

The Goldsteins and Maros Borsky in Samorin synagogue. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

Rabbi Andrew Goldstein, who was on the recent trip in Slovakia to tour the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route, gave an eloquent sermon this week in his synagogue in London that evoked what we saw -- and raised  important questions regarding surviving sites of Jewish heritage and their place, role and future. These issues have been a continuing focus of this blog, and (of course) of anyone involved in the field. In 2009, a conference in Bratislava was devoted to these issues and formulated a series of "best practices" recommendations to consider when dealing with disused or abandoned Jewish sites.

Rabbi Goldstein is the chairman of the European Union for Progressive Judaism and has spent decades traveling and teaching in east-central Europe.

SLOVAK SYNAGOGUE SERMON

What do you do with a synagogue building that becomes redundant? What do you do if the community shrinks and can no longer support a congregation or the upkeep of the building?

I wonder if our friends at Harrow and Wembley Progressive spent long searching the Talmud to see what were their options: as you know they recently sold their building to a fundamentalist Christian church and moved in with Middlesex New...Reform synagogue. A brief look at the rabbinic sources says you can sell a synagogue if you use the proceeds to build another: which lets Harrow & Wembley off the hook, or for community benefit: which was certainly the case when North London sold their building. The Talmud says you may sell a synagogue on condition that its not going to be turned into a wash-house, a tannery, a bath-house or a toilet. What about a church?

It seems as if once a month you read in the Jewish Chronicle of an English synagogue being closed as its congregation dwindles and a number have become evangelical churches and increasingly mosques. Just think of the famous Brick Lane building that started out as a church, then an ultra-Orthodox synagogue and now a mosque. And I suppose we should recall that NPLS started out by using a former Primitive Methodist church as it first synagogue. The continued use of a redundant building for religious purposes seems appropriate, but often British shuls seem to be turned into blocks of flats or office buildings: at least I have not heard of a tannery or public convenience.

Sharon and I have just returned from a fabulous tour round Slovakia as guests of the Slovak Tourist Board, arranged by our friend Maros Borsky. The idea was to take journalists along the Slovak Jewish Heritage route that Maros has developed. Photographs of which we saw displayed in our Art Gallery a few weeks ago: we visited the actual sites, along with journalists from Israel, Hungary & Italy. The Israelis were all secular, yet seemed genuinely moved by Sharon singing Psalms in the empty shuls we were taken to.

Of course Slovakia is quite different from the UK....because the vast majority of its Jewish population was wiped out in the Holocaust. And of those of who survived, most left the country after the war with its take-over by the Communists or during the brief window of opportunity during the Prague Spring. Since the end of communism the community has dwindled further and those that have stayed have tended to move to the capitol Bratislava that nowadays has the only viable Jewish community in the country.

Unlike neighbouring Poland and Austria and Ukraine, unlike Germany, very few Slovak (or Czech) synagogues were actually destroyed during the Holocaust (sadly one of the few was in Spisske Nova Ves where our Slovak Torah comes from). The Communists, however, destroyed many buildings or used them for, often quite unfitting purposes: Bingo halls, markets, store-rooms: though so far I've not discovered a tannery. The Communists also destroyed the surviving Jewish community; and for all of these reasons there are hundreds of Jewish buildings and cemeteries in places, quite often in large towns, where there is not one living Jew residing.

What is the present day Jewish community to do with this vast number of Jewish sites? It cannot preserve and look after everything. Maros Borsky has persuaded the community leaders to concentrate on just a few buildings and cemeteries of special historic or architectural merit. Places that might have a long-term future, that might give evidence of the former glory of the country's Jewish community. Then Maros came up with the idea of a Slovak Jewish Heritage Route that tourists could follow to experience this treasure trove of Jewish beauty.

This was the route Sharon and I along with the 8 professional journalists followed a week ago.

To justify our trip, we too must attempt to get published articles encouraging others to visit Slovakia and, at least, seek out a few of the buildings on the route, and soon I must get down to write a few articles, so this sermon is a first attempt. Tonight, as a theme, I will answer the question I posed at the beginning: what is a fitting use for a redundant synagogue? For a fitting use is one of Maros' criteria as well as a local body able to guarantee a long term future for the building.

The Route starts in Bratislava where Maros is concentrating in converting the woman's gallery in the only remaining synagogue into an exhibition of Judaica from the collection of the community. Downstairs the sanctuary will remain for High Holyday services, the weekly minyan more comfortable in the small "Winter" synagogue. Presov, in the far east of the country, also has a historic Judaica collection in the gallery, though there is rarely a minyan to davven in, perhaps, the most fabulously decorated of all the shuls in the country. It stands in a compound that contains 3 other former synagogues, now used as office buildings. Further east is Bardeov where a tiny shul, a stieble indeed, is preserved exactly as it was when the last Jews were deported 70 years ago. The Orthodox synagogue in Zilina is also intact, though I was saddened to hear that services don't actually take place there: on Rosh Hashanah the tiny community meet in a nearby hall and reminisce - seemingly nobody to lead even a short service. A small exhibition in the women's section is visited by local school groups, but I was interested in a showcase with a selection of Table Tennis memorabilia: once Zilina the centre of the Jewish game. Trnava has two synagogues: one once Orthodox and Neologue and both have been turned into are galleries. The former expensively repaired with the vividly painted walls & ceiling restored to their former glory. The Neologue made safe, but left to remind visitors of its neglected state, a result of the destruction of its community, a reminder of the Shoah. I'm not sure which is the better state for a redundant synagogue found a new use.


The synagogue in Nitra is used as a concert hall and Sharon and I, on a previous visit, heard a children's concert there. Upstairs is Slovakia's official Holocaust memorial exhibition, and on the stairs a collection of prints of Nitra born Shraga Weil. Perhaps a perfect combination for a beautiful building, restored and looked after by the municipality: a reminder of the fate of its past worshippers and yet regularly used for inspiring music. Please God this will be the eventual fate of the magnificent building in Liptovsky Mikulas where we had one of the most moving experiences of our tour. One of our party, David Sivor had there had his Bar mitzvah, and in the now empty sanctuary recalled the event, and Sharon sang Psalms: the acoustics perfect; for a brief moment a reminder the large community that once worshipped in that place.

The future of the Jewish community in Slovakia is uncertain but, at least, through the inspiration of Maros Borsky, they now have a splendid Heritage Route that will long tell of the glory of the former community. Many other stories I could add, especially about our visit to the cemetery in Spisske nova Ves, our Torah town, where Dr Ruzena Kormasova and her High School students continue to research the history of the town's former Jewish community and look after the cemetery. But how appropriate that I tell my story on an evening where we include in our service the blessing of a baby whose mother, if not Slovak - is Czech. Thank God our congregation is thriving: perhaps it has always been like this in Jewish history: Jewish life in one country declines, but the Jewish people and Judaism lives on in places new.

Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein

19th August 2011....19th Av 5771

Painted gravestone decoration

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

During my recent trip visiting Jewish heritage sites in Slovakia, I came across some artwork that demonstrated the way Jewish gravestones were often painted in various colors to emphasize the carved ornamentation. (I have posted on this in the past, and have also posted pictures showing gravestones in Romania, Poland and Ukraine where you can still see traces of such polychrome decoration.)

The watercolor pictured above is a view of the  Jewish cemetery in Ungvar (today Uzhorod, Ukraine) painted in 1930, apparently by Eugen Barkany, who assembled the wonderful collection of Judaica and other objects that formed the basis of the Jewish museum founded in Presov, in eastern Slovakia, in 1928. (At the time both Uzhorod and Presov were part of Czechoslovakia -- to see old postcards of Uzhorod, click HERE.) The painting clearly shows the polychrome decoration.

The Barkany collection is now displayed in the women's gallery of the marvelously ornate Orthodox synagogue in Presov, a stop of the Slovak Jewish Heritage route (scroll down for previous posts on this route).

Here are some other paintings of cemeteries and stones by Barkany, from 1930, on display:

Can't read it well -- but, Humenne? (near Presov)

Lwow/L'viv -- tomb of the "Golden Rose" (cemetery has been destroyed)

Michalovce

Jiufen (九份) Small Town at Taiwan

Jiufen (N25.10986 E121.84515) - "During the first years of the Qing Dynasty, the village here housed nine families, thus the village would request "nine portions" every time shipments arrived from town. Later Jiufen ("Nine portions" in Chinese) would become the name of the village.

Jiufen was only an isolated village until 1893, when gold was discovered in the area. The resulting gold rush hastened the village's development into a town, and reached its peak during the Japanese rule. Many present features of Jiufen reflect the era under Japanese colonization, with many Japanese inns surviving to this day. During World War II, a POW camp named Kinkaseki was set up in the village, holding Allied soldiers captured in Singapore (including many British) who worked in the nearby gold mines. Gold mining activities declined after World War II, and the mine was shut off in 1971. Jiufen quickly went into decline, and for a while the town was mostly forgotten." Source from Wiki.



It took about 30-45 minutes drive from Yehliu to this small town - Jiufen. Drove through the winding roads and at last we reached the busy and sharp corner where the Jiufen Old Street (九份老街) located.

The 180 degree sharp bend at Jiufen

The above photo was taken by Tokina 11-16mm lens

This was the tourist hotspot of Jiufen. Everyone will definitely visit the old street for the first time, and so do we...

It is a long narrow alley which paved by stones and the alley was continue ascending...felt like hiking a small hill...:)

The entrance of the Jiufen Old Street (九份老街)

The street was crowded with tourist and it full of shops on the both side...luckily the weather was quite cooling, because it situated at the elevation of 300 meter and above...



There were many food stalls around and if you have a big belly, that will be paradise for you! Too bad I don't have it, haha!

Food stalls along Jiufen Old Street, have you ever try the Yam ball? (Top right)

Top left : I like the peanut ice-cream

Top right : Admire the innovative food process machine very much!

Bottom left : Grilled sea snail

Bottom right : Shark ball?! (Second basket from right)

You can chose to take the food while strolling along the street or even find a Unique cafe or restaurant to dine in...

Like the deco of this small restaurant

The restaurant which is lower than the street...unique.

Western Restaurant and the corner...like the design too!

Suddenly, I been attracted by a musical instrument came out from no-where! After searching and followed the music, we found this shop...the boss was playing with the instrument...

And it's called the Taiwan Ocarina. The ocarina (陶笛) may be known as a "pottery flute" in Chinese. However, it doesn't look anything like a classical flute.

The colourful Taiwan Ocarina.

The area was so packed during our visit...

Tourists from everywhere in the world.

After hanging around the food stalls and souvenirs shops area, we continued to walk to the top...

5-10 minutes walk, we reached the Famous Jiufen Tea House. In the tea house, they have the Ceramic Gallery and the tea drinking area.

Jiufen Tea House

The Ceramic Gallery of Jiufen Tea House

I like the decoration. They created the cozy and relax ambience in the whole Jiufen Tea House!

We won't be able to step into the drinking area, because the tea house Only allow customer who buy the tea and to ensure their customer privacy...sound great?! But because of our limited time, we gave a missed this time...



Jiufen Tea House was not the only one around, there are many other tea house, cafes and restaurants around! And they are all in different and unique decoration.

Another 15 minutes walk, we reached the top of the Jiufen Old Street. The breathtaking view was just Fantastic! I can imagine viewing it from the top in the bright sunny day! But too bad...that day was cloudy when we were there...

The scenic view from the top of Jiufen Old Street

The Jiufen small town

There were many tea house at the both side of the viewing area, many tourists or travelers enjoy their tea and mesmerizing the beautiful view of Jiufen.

Customers enjoyed the scenic view with the tea...

Another Tea House...

And all the tea houses and buildings were constructed on the edge of the small hill...

Amazing isn't it?!

After enjoyed the fresh air and the view from the area, we chose to walked down the hill via another street named - QingBian road.

Well, it was also full of restaurants again! If I had enough time, I will definitely visit every restaurant or cafe I can to enjoy the environments and their decorations. They were so Special!

I was admired the cafe (left) for a moment while descending...

Do you notice the 'Cave' below? It was a restaurant's entrance, very creative!

The Cave

It's difficult to find a public toilet around here, I only saw once while we walking down, so be prepare...

The public toilet at Jiufen

Another Unique restaurant along the way...

We chose another way to get back to the Jiufen Old Street where we can walked through their village's alley...and feel the different of Jiufen.

The alley at Jiufen village

I wish the above house it's the homestay...so antique and nice!

And I found this Unique post box at the corner...

We went into a Yam Ball dessert shop after we back to the old street...will blog about it in my next post.



We took about 2 hours to finished walking at the old street area, I felt Not enough at all for a day trip here! I will definitely come back again and put a night or two at this peaceful small town, especially at the Homestay. Well, I like it Very Much!



Finally, I visited Jiufen. 



Related post :-
*  My Taiwan Trip on May, 2011

Location map of Jiufen Small Town of Taiwan

View Larger Map