Last spring, during the second semester of my junior year at George Washington University, I had the opportunity to study abroad. I decided to go to Ireland to study at Trinity College Dublin.
When I told people I would be spending a semester in Ireland, they would ask, “Are you Irish?” I would just smile and say, “No, just interested in the culture.”
Then they would shake their heads and say, “I don’t think there are any Jews in Ireland, Ronnie.”
They were right. Most of the Irish people I met had never seen a Jew, and they could barely wrap their heads around the fact that I did not celebrate Christmas.
However, I still found the opportunity to explore my Jewish heritage. Irish colleges have a wonderful thing called reading break, a two-week period mid-semester where everyone studies and prepares for exams.
Being an exchange student, I took my studying on the road and used this opportunity to travel for two weeks in Central and Eastern Europe — to get in touch with my faith and seek out historically Jewish places and experiences.
My first stop was Budapest. Many Eastern European cities have not recovered from Communist rule, but Budapest has recovered enough to have an affluent tourism culture, while preserving the Communist authenticity.
Call it a shabby chic experience with crumbling facades of beautiful old buildings next door to lively cafes and fashionable boutiques.
Budapest also is home to the largest synagogue in Europe. The Dohány Street Synagogue, completed in 1859, can hold up to 7,200 people. The building is magnificent, with beautiful stained glass of all colors and a huge arced ceiling.
In order to draw more people to the synagogue, at a time when Christianity was the dominant and popular religion, the architect designed the synagogue to appear more like a church, with wooden pews and a huge organ. The ark, framed by the organ, has ornate gold leafing.
When I first walked into the synagogue, I was in such awe of its beauty. When I thought about how many people had worshipped here over the years, also took in its beauty, it astounded me. It was the perfect place to begin my Jewish journey.
The entrance fee is five euros, but the free tours in English are offered every 30 minutes, which I would strongly recommend doing, as there are no signs displaying historical facts.
In the garden outside the building, there is a Holocaust memorial, both for the victims of the Holocaust and those who helped protect Jews from the Nazis. This synagogue still has a practicing congregation, although it has shrunk to about 300 people today.
I would strongly recommend taking an entire afternoon to explore the synagogue and its grounds. I only spent about two hours there, and I wish I had had more time.
The next stop was Berlin. Unlike Budapest, Berlin has completely recovered from Communist rule, and many of the buildings from before World War II were preserved.
Not only that, but as the capital of Germany, Berlin shoulders a lot of responsibility for the Holocaust. There are a number of monuments, memorials and a Jewish museum, all funded by the government.
I first stopped at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Designed by Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold, from afar it appears as completely flat slabs arranged in a grid-like pattern. However, as you walk through the memorial, the ground below the slabs slopes, so as you walk further into it, giant bricks of concrete surround you.
My next stop was the Jewish Museum of Berlin. This was the most moving, well-done museum I saw throughout my study abroad experience.
Everything down to the architecture of the building took into consideration the Holocaust and experience of the Jews. Designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, the building zigzags, with only small slits for windows, to parallel how the Jews felt during the Holocaust.
I would strongly recommend purchasing a headset, as the audio guide tells you about the architectural choices as well as the exhibits. An entire afternoon must be dedicated to fully comprehend the museum.
As I walked through, I did not simply read and look at the past, but I felt and experienced it, as well.
I next went to Prague. I spent a day in the Jewish Quarter, traveling to four of the oldest synagogues in Prague and the oldest Jewish cemetery.
For about 25 euros, you can purchase a ticket to see all of the synagogues, the small museums inside each synagogue, and the cemetery.
The Old Spanish Synagogue was my favorite. Instead of using reds, blues and greens, they used brightly colored tiles to decorate this synagogue. Everywhere I looked were bright stained glass tiles of orange and pink. They were such different colors than those in the synagogues I have seen throughout the rest of my travels.
The Oldest Synagogue in Prague was also beautiful. The inside was crafted of hand-carved stone, barely larger than a master bedroom. The pews, also stoned, had slight divots in them where people had sat for so many years and had worn the stone down.
There is also lots of unique shopping in the Jewish quarter with many boutiques offering clothes by Czech designers.
The final stop on my Jewish tour was Krakow, Poland, and Auschwitz. I rented a car in Prague and drove through Poland — about eight hours of driving one way — to Krakow.
I stayed the night in Krakow, and then saw the camp and drove back to Prague. I wish I had done one more night in Krakow, as it was a lot of driving over two days.
Another way to see the camps is to go with a tour group for the day, but seeing Auschwitz was not something I wanted to experience with a group. I wanted to do it on my own terms, at my own pace, and I am very glad I did it that way.
On a self-guided tour of the camp, there are many things still preserved from the day it was liberated. Walking through the gates of Auschwitz truly took my Jewish experience full circle.
I wanted to see where people, my relatives, practiced and came to find their faith. Seeing all of these synagogues made me reflect on my experience of Judaism.
A person looking at me from the outside might think that I have lost touch with my faith. However, this trip solidified my identity as a Jew.
From the largest synagogue in Europe to Auschwitz, I walked in the footsteps of 19th and 20th century Jews and saw the triumphs of their faith and the fires that extinguished their lives. My travels connected me to God and to Judaism.
Milwaukee Jewish Day School graduate Ronnie Eder is a senior at George Washington University, majoring in political communication and religion.
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