Final Excursion Post: Hungarian Holocaust Museum

      It’s hard to believe the time has finally come, but sadly this is the last field excursion blog of our trip. For our last adventure, the gang and I went to the Hungarian Holocaust Museum. It was a heavy-hearted trip but a necessary and important one. With all the fun we’ve been having and all of the cool experiences we’ve had I sometimes forget about the important events of modern human history that occurred in the city we’ve been lucky enough to call home for the last few months. We must take time to reflect about what happened here, as sad as it may be, because it would be an insult to each and every victim if we just pranced around the city without at least taking the time to understand that this place hasn’t always been such a nice place. The fact of the matter is that innocent people lose their lives in both Budapest and all over Europe. We live in a place where some very dark moments in mankind history occurred, and leaving here without an understanding of that would be insulting to the people who went through so much for no rhyme or reason

           

                                       We must never forget what happened in the 1940's                        

   The museum itself was extremely well-organized and neatly put together. The building and the exhibits were pristine and the layout was done from a chronological standpoint giving visitors a good understanding of the entire timeframe. We had a wonderful tour guide who explained to us quite thoroughly the unfortunate series of events which occurred during the 1940’s in as sensitive as a way possible without leaving out any of the important (and hard to swallow) details. We learned about the different propaganda the Nazi’s and the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party used to try to convince the people that the Jewish people were enemies. We saw videos of people being taken from their homes and stripped from their belongings. On the walls there were descriptions of different phases and aspects of Jewish people’s plight, and it was all very interesting and informative.

          

                         An example of propaganda was used to hurt the Jewish people

          One of the things that wrenched my gut the most was when she explained to us the story of the now infamous Dr. Mengele, also known as Dr. Death. I had heard about him before in high school, but I had for the most part forgotten about him before until I was refreshed in all the awful things he did. He used to use twins for all sorts of horrific tests with one of his main goals being to try to replicate the genes that cause women to birth twins in an attempt to get Aryan mothers to birth more children. In high school my professor also said that he used twins to have an accurate idea of what a subject looked before and after an experiment. As most of you probably know I am a twin myself, and the talk of all that made me sick. One always hears that the best way to truly understand what someone’s going through or went through is by trying to relate to what they went through, and when I thought about someone doing that to my brother and I when we were innocent small children I had to keep myself from getting emotional.

                                                      The portrait of evil: Dr. Mengele

          It does not take a poet to explain why the Holocaust was bad. I need not go into depth about each and every aspect of the Holocaust because they are engrained in us. We are all humans and when it comes down to it we’re all in this together. Some of us (The Nazi’s and the perpetrators) committed monstrous acts against another faction of us (The Jews, Gypsies, Handicapped, and all the other people affected by Holocaust). To reference Mark Twain in his story “Letters From Earth”, one observing our planet from above would only see what happens on our planet and wouldn’t understand the who, what, when, or why. All they would see is that one group of humans senselessly murdered countless numbers of another group. Therefore we should all feel remorse, anger, and pain for what happened and how a country as advanced as Germany would so quickly turn to something as horrible as Nazism. Hopefully these events will not repeat themselves, although events in Syria and other parts of the Middle East make me uneasy. All we can do is try to keep fighting the good fight in honor of all who have perished for no rhyme or reason, and hope that one day everyone will listen.

The long awaited Synagogue trip post

Quick sidenote: To my many fans that I have let down with the lateness of this response I apologize. I know you all turn to my blog for the best insights the world has to offer, and I can only imagine the supreme dissapointment you must have felt when you discovered that there was no post. I will try to emerge from this stronger, and this type of negligence will not happen again!

Today the gang and I visited the famous Jewish synagogue in Budapest. After walking by it many times on our way to watch the Patriots play at a nearby pub, it was about time we finally stepped in and saw what this building was all about. It is a massive brick building with a intricate designs of colors spread out on its walls, and it is a building that instantly catches the eye of anyone who walks by it. We arrived at the building right as it opened, and waited excitedly for the tour to begin. When the moment finally arrived the men in the group were told that they must put on hats or wear a yarmulke, for men were forbidden to go barehead into the holy place. I thought this was pretty cool and in direct contrast with the usual social norms regarding headwear and the indoors.

Sadly we were not able to wear a yarmulke on our visit!

                                

        Upon entering the building we were amazed to see how beautiful the synagogue was. Since arriving in Europe we have been lucky enough to see an array of all different types of amazing churches, and this was right on par with any we’ve seen so far. It was absolutely massive, we later learned it could seat over six thousand people! Our tour guide was a jovial young lad who explained to us the ins and outs of the synagogue. We learned that it is a traditional synagogue in the sense that only men are allowed to sit on the ground floor, while women must sit in the second and third levels. We also learned that the synagogue was designed to resemble a Christian church, in an attempt to better fit in with the Hungarian community.

                                                                     

                                           The beautiful inside of the synagogue

       When we exited the synagogue we were taken to the gravesites of many Jewish people who were killed during the atrocities of WWII/Halocaust. It was one of those moments that just sticks with you, there’s no real way to describe in words what you’re seeing. We were then taken to several memorials to the people who lost their lives and another for non-Jewish Hungarians who did the bravest deed of all and risked their own lives to help save some Jewish people. The entire memorial area was both beautiful and touching, and it I can’t imagine a nicer and more appropriate memorial for what it entails.

   When we left the memorial site we were then taken to the local Jewish Museum, where we were given a tour of both Jewish heritage and tradition and also more interesting/gut-wrenching facts about the plight of the Jewish people during the twentieth century. It was a really cool place and there were tons of cool exhibits and information that kept everyone interested and involved. Overall it was an educational and enlightening day. It made us take a break from our daily lives and spare a thought for the innocent people who lost their lives in perhaps the most senseless thing that mankind has ever done. It is not an easy thing to think about or grasp, but we owe it to all the victims to continue to spread the word of these atrocities so they are never repeated again.

                           This is the memorial tree that stands outside the synagogue. It is a touching tribute to the many who lost their lives, and it was donated by famous actor Tony Curtis

Field Excursion #11: Parliament couldn’t shut us out foreve

        Yesterday the day we had all marked on our calendars finally arrived- we got to go to the Hungarian Parliament. The building is one of a kind and it is one of the main attractions of the city, so I and the rest of the gang were exited to finally get a chance to see the inside of the building. We had to clear several security checkpoints but luckily all of us checked out (even Nellie and Sara who both are in this country illegally), and we entered the building. The building was just as impressive from the inside as it is from the outside, and it was truly a one of a kind experience. Although I didn’t fulfill my lifelong dream of meeting Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, there are luckily still a few weeks left in the trip so I’m holding my breath!

                           I'm not giving up Victor! I'm going to meet you before I leave!

             The inside of the building was incredible. Every inch of the interior was carefully designed and there wasn’t one part of the building that wasn’t breathtaking. The windows were hand-stained, the pillars holding up the building were made from hand-carved granite, and the ceilings were painted with artwork depicting significant points in Hungarian history. We were taken on tour from an amiable Hungarian woman who explained to us the ins and outs of the building, and gave us a sense of the history and importance of the building. She explained how the height of the building was 96 meters, and that the number of steps leading to the rotunda was 96. This was done to commemorate the founding of Hungary by Arpad, the leader of the Magyars, in the year 896.

                                                            The Hungairan Parliament

      After we walked up the exhausting 96 steps we reached the rotunda, which is located inside the dome of the building. In the center of the Rotunda was the Hungarian Holy Crown, which is one of the most famous symbols in all of Hungary. Things such as bridges, streetlights, and even subways in Budapest are adorned with a picture of the crown. The crown was first worn by the founder of the Hungary and the first King of Hungary St. Stephen, who was crowned in the early parts of the eleventh century. No King was considered legitimate unless they were crowned with the holy crown, and it remained a fixture of Hungarian royalty and power for the better part of one thousand years. During the turmoil of the twentieth century there no longer Hungarian kings, and the crown was hidden during various hardships to prevent and possible damages. When the communist regime fell in 1989, the crown was once again brought back to Parliament as a symbol of Hungarian nationalism. For many it is a source of great admiration and honor to see the crown, yet others (such as Professor Lasslo Varadi), feel it is wrong to have a crown as the focal point of a building that houses a democratic government.

                                    The Hungarian Holy Crown looking prettay prettay prettay good

         After viewing the crown we were given the opportunity to sit on a Parliamentary session in one the chambers of the building, which was special for me because it was the first time I had ever seen “government in action”. Although the session was in Hungarian, it was still really interesting and a cool experience. Overall, I really enjoyed Parliament; it was clearly one of those moments that reminded me how lucky I am to be studying abroad in Europe!

Field Excursion #10: There is a Difference between ILEA and IKEA!

       This week the gang and took a trip to the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Budapest. It was another interesting experience, and it was a chance to learn how different countries cooperate to coordinate training to help make the world a safer place. The Academy was located on the Buda side of the city, and its brick façade and green courtyards reminded me of a small University in New England. Upon entry we were met with another amiable bald man (coincidence- I think not!), Mr. Tom Stocking, who is the deputy director of the Budapest Academy. We were given a tour of the facilities and then were given an opportunity to sit down with several prominent members of the ILEA staff to learn the ins and outs of the organization. We also were given free pens, so overall it was a productive and educational day!

                                            Who doesn't love free pens?!?

       The academy itself was quite unique and unlike anything I had ever been too before. They take in students from all over Central and Eastern Europe, and they have to have the proper facilities in place to ensure every participant can make the most out of their experience. Mr. Stocking took us on a tour of the campus and showed us where the future policemen and women eat, live, learn, train, and work-out. He talked about how it was important to make them all feel as comfortable as possible to ensure high-morale throughout the campus. Towards the end of the tour he took us to a “simulation room”, where the students practice real-life police work scenarios. We stood on a catwalk overlooking the simulation room, and we had a bird’s eye view of all the different rooms and scenarios that the students must go through during their different training exercises. Mr. Stocking said that this is the most exciting part of the training for the cadets and that they enjoy it much more than they enjoy their classes (hard to believe). After, we were taken to one of the Academy’s classrooms, where the educational portion of our visit began.

                                                           This is the logo for ILEA!

                                                                

        In the classroom we listened to presentations from several important members of the ILEA staff. First up to bat was Mr. Stocking, who told us about his personal background and the details of what actually goes on at the academy. Stocking is an employee of the US State Department, and he and his superiors are on a three year assignment at the academy. In the 1990’s he worked as part of the security details for Clinton’s Secretaries of State Warren Christopher and Madeline Albright. He explained how the State Department staffs security in embassies all over the world, while also working on international crime such as passport and visa fraud cases. When he was done speaking one of his colleagues known as “Tibby” rocked the mic and explained to us his role in the organization. Tibby is a Hungarian born employee of the State Department who has been working with them since the early 1990’s. He grew up in Communist Hungary and explained to us the many turmoils and difficulties of his parent’s generation. He said that this turmoil in Hungary and its surrounding countries lead to a culture that desperately needed a strong and capable police network. He said that in some countries the phrase “A wife unbeaten is like a home unkept” was not the exception, but rather commonplace. Organizations like ILEA were desperately needed in order to train men and women who can try to change the culture and enforce the law. This goes to the show the importance of having capable and well-trained civil officers if one desires to live in a safe environment. We often complain about the police and perhaps it is sometimes deserved, but we are extremely lucky to live in a place where policemen and women are able and willing to uphold the rule of law.

                                    Don't want to forget the work of the police dogs as well!

          Towards the end of the presentation the Director of the Academy Mr. John Terpinas spoke with us briefly about his background and role in the organization. Terpinas is a United States citizen and employee of the FBI who like Mr. Stocking, is on a three-year assignment. He was an extremely cordial and intelligent character who just so happens to come from Greek ancestry (hmmmmm). We talked at length on how to get involved in his line of work and what federal agencies look for in perspective candidates. Although I personally don’t desire a career in the ol’ FBI I did feel that Mr. Terpinas did a very good job of explaining the perks of his profession and the important tasks the agency carries out. He also issued the shocking revelation that if one wants to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation it would be wise for them to stay out of trouble. I left the presentation with a renewed sense of the importance America can play in the rest of the world when we put our best foot forward. Agencies such as ILEA promote good and undoubtedly make the world a better place. Some may disagree, but I firmly believe that America has a moral obligation to help improve the quality of life of people who are not as privileged as us. Obviously one could take this as justification for actions such as the invasion of Iraq but not everything America does will work out in its favor. Mr. Stocking stressed to us the importance of America’s role in the world, and he pleaded with us to make sure that international agencies and other foreign services are always part of the political discourse (perhaps instead of talking about who Hermann Cain groped this week and if Mitt Romney is actually half-robot). I agree thoroughly with him and I hope that our generation will continue to spread America’s (good) influence abroad through great organizations such as ILEA.

          

   This is the song "American Tune" by Paul Simon. It is his analysis of America and where is was heading in the 1970's. He expressed sorrow over its failures (Vietnam), but optimism that the US could still remain a force of good in the world.

Field Excursion #9: The JSPB Boys and Girls are brought in to solve Europe’s Problems

          This week the gang and I had the privilege to sit down with Mr. Andras Bath, a prominent member of the European Commission. Mr. Bath was born and raised in Hungary, and now works in Brussels at the EU’s headquarters. Out of all of the guest lecturers we have met with this semester, I felt Mr. Bath was the best one. He was charismatic, amiable, intelligent, and most importantly genuine. Mr. Bath did not shy away from the “hardball” questions that the JSBP kids are known for, and he answered all of our questions with an honesty that one seldom sees from a high-ranking person talking to a group of twenty-something’s. One of the reasons I think this may be is because he was a bald man, and as Larry David would say, “Bald men are just more trustworthy”. On the other hand I think he was just a good guy who wanted to help us better understand what is going on in Europe; and he realized the best way to do so was to spell out the EU’s strengths and weaknesses as accurately and thoughtfully as possible.

              I wanted to put a video clip of Larry David, but I couldn't find any that weren't vulgar.

                                                        This will have to do.                    

         

           During the first part of the lecture Mr. Bath explained to us what exactly the EU is and why it was formed in the first place. It is similar to the UN in the sense that it is one organized body made up of many “member states” that have power within the organization based on size and economic power. However, it is different from the UN because all the countries involved are closely connected socially, politically, and (perhaps most importantly) economically. He explained about the desire in Europe throughout the twentieth century to create a common ground for all the countries to work together to make Europe as prosperous as possible. One point that he made which I found particularly interesting and had not heard before was the fact that since the creation of the EU there has been no wars between member states. This is extremely noteworthy because of the history of violent conflict in Europe that dates back centuries. On a global scale the EU gives Europe a chance to compete economically, which none of the member states could do on their own because of their small size. Together, they make a big enough economy to compete on a world scale. This seems like a nice idea in principle, but as Mr. Bath soon explained things there are some extreme flaws in the economic makeup of the EU.

      

                  This is a map of the EU and its member states with their respective flags.

           The talk with Mr. Bath couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time. One cannot turn on the news right now without being bombarded by a plethora of stories about the EU-euro crisis and Greece’s glaring economic woes. President Obama is currently at the G-20 summit in France trying to help “save” Europe, and the whole world’s attention is focused on the continent that we currently call home. As I said earlier Mr. Bath is employed in an organization that is part of the EU, and he stressed its importance in certain realms throughout his talk. Yet what surprised me was that he was more than willing to be critical of the economic policies of the EU that have lead to this disaster. He explained to us that one of the biggest problems the EU has had is that there is no strong federal regulating body to oversee (and punish if necessary) the ins and outs of every member state’s economies. The United States is similar to the EU in the sense it is large and full of extremely diverse geographic and economic regions. However, the difference is that the US federal government has the power to regulate industry, trade, commerce, taxes and many other economic tools in order to make sure the discrepancies between states does not become so bad it can bring the entire country’s economy to a halt (ex.-Greece).  This is not to say that the US doesn’t have its own (glaring) economic problems, but rather that it does have ways to regulate the economy from a federal level.

            Future US President Rick Perry hates the federal government and its regulatory policies, but he should realize there are good reasons to have a strong federal body to regulate commerce. He should also realize that one shouldn't insult something that they are campaigning to be the head of.

     


            Since the EU does not have the proper oversight institutions in place, they were in many ways doomed from the start. Mr. Bath claimed that part of the reason Greece is in such shambles is because they sent in false documents and numbers in order to gain acceptance in the EU. He claimed they were not strong enough to be emitted into the EU to begin with, and therefore the mess we see today was a ticking time bomb. The easy thing to do would be to put the blame soley on the Greeks (although I do agree they are largely to blame), but we must give the EU some blame for not being strong enough to catch their bluff! If the EU had any competent oversight agency they would have been able to look at Greece’s numbers and saw the discrepancies between the truth and what the Greeks reported. Instead the EU essentially “took Greece’s word” and just assumed that all countries are good and honest and would never embellish the truth to gain entry into their Union (somewhat idiotic if you ask me). Mr. Bath pointed out that one of the reasons this happened was that the Euro zone idea was created too quickly and essentially rushed into existence. The EU was so eager to create the inter-continental currency that they put forth a product that still had a lot of kinks in it. Obviously economies are complex and difficult to predict, but a little more time and foresight may have prevented the mess we see before us today.

                  While people are blaming Greece for all the world's problems, they seem to forget the many Greeks that have made the world a better place. Imagine a world without Socrates? How about one without 14-time major champion Pete Sampras? How about one without Yanni, who is essentially the Elvis Presley of our generation? And who doesn't love Jennifer Aniston and my namesake, Alexander the Great?

Field Excursion #8- Geneva: The UN, Switzerland, and 11.6

                                                         GENEVA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Earlier this week we had the privilege to visit the lovely city of Geneva, Switzerland. We all boarded a plane around noon Monday and were in the city in no time; ready to show the Swiss people what the Justice Studies in Budapest Program is all about. The reason for our trip was to visit two UN offices located in Geneva, UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) and UNHCR (The UN Refugee agency). This gave us a very rare experience to be able to meet face to face with important people from all over the globe who are very esteemed and experienced in their respective fields.

The logo to the UN Environmental Programme 

           

          After eating about seven baguettes and forty-five croissants we set out Tuesday morning to the UNEP offices in downtown Geneva. When we arrived we saw a schedule for the day’s festivities, and you’re not going to believe this, but we were on the schedule! We entered the meeting room and were greeted by two distinguished women in their fields, Angela Cropper and Barbara Ruis. Mrs. Cropper is the Deputy Executive of UNEP, which is essentially the second in command for the entire organization. Mrs. Ruis was a long-term employee of the UNEP offices who also had spent considerable time working as a professor and working in other UN agencies. They were both extremely amiable and intelligent, and they spoke with us in a very frank manner. They let us dictate the meeting with our own questions and curiosities, and they did not shy away from answering the “tough” questions the JSPB program is known for.

                                          The Justice Studies boys and girls can handle the truth!

             We talked for a somewhat lengthy time and the entire presentation was interesting, yet as always there were several key take away points that really stood out to me. One was Mrs. Ruis’ comments about how she felt guilty about the fact that she worked for an environmental organization yet was constantly flying to different locations around the world, and therefore creating a very sizeable “carbon footprint”. She also pointed out that one of the troubles about working with the different environmental ministries around the world was that quite often they are on the bottom end of the ol’ totem pole in their respective countries’ government. I felt that was a good point because more than likely if you asked the average American who the head of the EPA is (Lisa Jackson), they would have no idea and perhaps rightfully so due to the somewhat ceremonial aspects of the position. Mrs. Cropper spoke about the paths countries must take to work towards a “green economy”, and the different costs and benefits of doing so. I myself asked a somewhat ambiguous question regarding the wastefulness of major cities and the perils of over-population and over-industrialization, She answered the question very thoughtfully and did not dodge the major issues that the world’s ever-growing population presents to the world’s geography and availability of resources. She pointed out that cities can be environmentally friendly and energy efficient if they are built in a proper and precise manner. She also said that environmental groups are aware of the problems that over-population may place on the world, but they are working on figuring out where these problems will surface the most and how to combat them in the most efficient manner possible.

            

                                        This is a video by the one and only Cat Stevens called, "Where do the Children Play". It deals with the ideas that over-industrialization can make us forget about the simple things that make life worth living.

After a quick lunch in the infamous UNEP cafeteria, we set upon the offices of the UNHCR (The UN refugee Agency). I was extremely excited for this because I am involved and interested in the plights of displaces and disadvantaged people in Uganda and the Congo and I hoped that the speaker may offer some insights as to how the agency was dealing with these agencies. The speaker’s name was Semih Bulbut, and he was a Turkish man who had been working with the agency for a very long time. He spoke at length about the definition of a refugee and what he and his agency does on a daily basis. Although he did not go into specific details about disaster relief scenarios, he was very esteemed and cordial and his talk did have some interesting moments. Towards the end of his talk he spoke about relief efforts in Iraq since the start of the US occupation in 2003. It was interesting how he described the fact that the US donates more money than any other country to the UN’s disaster relief efforts, but in this case we are the ones responsible for the disaster! With that being said I sensed no tone of anger or resentment from Bulbut, in fact he told us that he hopes to one day see us working in his office side-by-side to help better the cause of humanity!

Field Excursion #7: Talkin' with important people is cool

         This week the gang and I had the privilege to meet with Dr. Attila Nyikos, who is the head of Hungary’s National Disaster Management International Relations department. We were able to better understand how the Hungarian government (and all governments) coordinates disaster relief, cleanup, and prevention efforts. Mr. Nyikos is one of those people who just look important, and he was wearing a suit coat with jeans which is a bold look no matter where you are in the world. He started out by explaining to us exactly what his agency was and what it did. He compared it to FEMA in the states, except his department is larger in scale and includes civil positions such as firefighters. He also spoke about the disaster management in depth, explaining that law enforcement and civil duty are the two cornerstones of successful disaster relief and management efforts.

                     This is a photo of Mr. Nyikos. I found this image on google, so you know he's important!

     Mr. Nyikos described the basic system that disaster management follows. It follows three basic pillars: Prevention, Response, and Recovery. He explained that like any country there are many different types of disaster scenarios that Hungary could be vulnerable to, and it was his offices duty to be prepared for whatever may happen. These include but are not limited to natural disasters, flooding, pollution of water supplies, and the maintaining of nuclear power plants. He also explained the different challenges his department faced over the last ten years. These include terrorism, heat waves, heavy rainfall, and the now infamous red sludge incident.

           

One of the most interesting parts of the talk was his description of his role in Hungary’s Presidency of the EU last spring. He explained that during Hungary’s presidency he took over the EU’s office of Disaster Management. This means that during this time he presided over the safety of the over 485 million people living in the EU member states. He also described the EU’s Mechanism Operations during this time, and they included helping the United States with the gulf oil “deep water horizon” incident, along with the massive tsunami in Japan. He described how his organization sent tons of food to Japan including dried soup, apples, and apricots. He acknowledged how awkward it was that apricots were one the things sent, but he insisted upon the fact that the Japanese people had requested them. One of the boldest things he said was that during the crisis Japan lied to both its people and the rest of the world regarding radiation levels in the inflicted areas!

          This is a photo of some of the damage done by the red-sludge incident in October, 2010. This was an extremely difficult clean-up process for Mr. Nyikos and his organization. 

   The talk was extremely interesting and educational and I think everyone took away valuable information regarding how government agencies coordinate disaster relief efforts. However, I had mixed feeling regarding Mr. Nyikos as a speaker. In one regard he was extremely smart and clearly very distinguished for his young age. On the other hand he at points came off as smug and somewhat full of himself; essentially he was not afraid to toot his own horn. I also felt that his answers to our questions were extremely dubious. For instance, I asked him what the Hungarian people’s response to the disaster was and he responded, “extremely positive”. Now I don’t want to call him a liar, but I highly doubt that a large majority of the Hungarian people were too happy with the government and its cleanup agencies after the red-sludge incident. This is not to imply that Mr. Nyikos and his agency didn’t do a good job, but rather that anytime an environmental disaster occurs the people will inevitably blame the government. On top of that, several Hungarians we have met have expressed their displeasure with the whole incident and the government’s handling of it. Yet as a whole, the presentation was both informative and entertaining and gave us a different perspective on things from a person who is very distinguished in his field.

                     I would hope that Mike Brown and W wouldn't say that the public response to their handling of Katrina was "extremely positive"