Something In The Water with Rachel Meyerowitz

“Something in the Water” shares the story of Budapest’s Jewish Community through interviews with the individuals who shape it. Today’s guest is Ádám Schönberger who has been a key figure in Budapest’s cultural scene and Jewish community for over two decades. Ádám reflects on his roots in the city's underground, where he became a bridge between artists, activists, Jews, and anyone looking for a...

"Something in the Water" shares the story of Budapest's Jewish Community through interviews with the individuals who shape it. In this episode, I speak with soon to be Rabbi Valéria Kuna about her journey to Jewish spiritual leadership, which began in the world of classical music! A serious cellist from a young age, Valeria was immersed in discipline and ritual. Those values guide he...

“Something in the Water” shares the story of Budapest’s Jewish Community through interviews with the individuals who shape it. In this episode, Barna Szász reflects on how he is bringing his Stanford MFA and teaching experience back to Hungary differently than anticipated. Orbán’s government infiltrated civil society and left no place for Szász in the institutions he was once devoted to. Instead o...

“Something in the Water” shares the story of Budapest’s Jewish Community through interviews with the individuals who shape it. In this episode, yiddishist and historian Szonja Komoróczy reflects on the power of bringing academic studies into everyday life and the work of community building. We discuss the ways she equips the community with substantiated knowledge and then “lets go," trusting...

“Something in the Water” shares the story of Budapest’s Jewish Community through interviews with the individuals who shape it. In this episode, Dr. Anikó Félix explains the evidence-backed methodology behind Haver Foundation’s work to prevent antisemitism. Haver means friend in both Hungarian and Hebrew, and personal encounters between Jewish and non-Jewish students are at the heart of what Haver...

"Something in the Water" shares the story of Budapest's Jewish Community through interviews with the individuals who shape it. Dr. Gábor Balázs, Director of Budapest's Jewish University, shares the power of the University to put multiculturalism into action. We also explore his journey through earlier leadership roles in Jewish communal institutions and how he navigates observanc...

"Something in the Water" shares the story of Budapest's Jewish community through interviews with the individuals who shape it. András Büchler joins us to talk about cherishing Jewish community at every scale, from national religious institutions to a small “jewel box” community he lovingly tends. The conversation centers on how communities, when equipped with knowledge and agency, ca...

“Something in the Water” shares the story of Budapest’s Jewish community through interviews with the individuals who shape it. András Borgula, founder of Golem Theatre, picked up the phone one day to uncover a family secret. His grandfather and eight brothers survived Auschwitz. What follows is a journey into the Jewish world, a search for what it means to live a Jewish life, and the establishment...

“Something in the Water” shares the story of Budapest’s Jewish community through interviews with the individuals who shape it. In our first episode, we welcome the luminary Zsuzsa Fritz. Once called the Ghetto Fairy, Zsuzsa says, with a smile on her face, “that pretty much sums it up.” Her experience provides an inside look at how the community has grown and struggled, as well as how her own Jewis...