Results of a survey among participants of the Jewish Roots in Győr World Reunion to mark the 80th anniversary, held in Győr, Hungary, from 4-7 July 2024
WHEN
The survey was conducted in the month of December 2024.
WHO
Our questionnaire was sent out by email to registered participants of the World Reunion. Forty-seven anonymous responses were received, which may reflect the views of about twice as many participants, as there are several participants behind one email address, sometimes entire families. The survey is therefore sufficiently representative to reflect the views of about half of the total number of those previously registered (170).
MAIN COCLUSIONS
The main findings are:
• The overwhelming majority of respondents (95.7%) considered the World Reunion a worthy commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust and judged the preparation and the organisation of the events to have been of a high technical standard (91.5%).
• Of the events that took place, the "Planting of memorial trees and Shoah commemoration in the cemetery" was the most appreciated (78.7%), followed by the "Memorial Conference" (72.3%), the "Opening of the Jewish Excellence Exhibition Győr and Concert" (68.1%), the "IWalk promenade in the Jewish Quarter Sziget" (46.8%) and the "Unveiling of a memorial plaque on Budai út" (42.6%).
• Most of the participants (95.7%) made old and new friends among the participants, whom the majority (57.4%) are still in contact or plan to establish contact (23.4%) with.
• Among the suggestions made by respondents aimed at strengthening the network of contacts established, the regular publication of the Foundation's Newsletter (83%) and the maintenance of its website (74.5%) were the most preferred options. Several individual suggestions were also made, e.g. organising similar meetings, sharing family stories, etc.
• All respondents (100%) support the implementation of the Foundation's 2025 programme to combat exclusion, including anti-Semitism, in secondary schools in Győr and at Széchenyi István University.
• Finally, among other proposals, it is worth to mention the offer to organise a similar commemoration in Israel. Another initiative aims at identifying each gravestone in the cemetery, digitally processing the information and making all the material freely accessible.
THE DETAILS
1. Was the World Reunion in Győr, on 4-7 July 2024 an appropriate way to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust? (1=not appropriate; 5=appropriate)
2. Which event of the meeting did you find the most outstanding? Several events could be marked.
The exact denomination of the events mentioned in question 2: Reception by the Mayor of Győr; Watch the movie “1945”; Memorial Conference; Friday evening prayer; IWalk promenade in the Jewish Quarter Sziget; Inauguration of a memorial plaque in Budai út; Opening the Jewish Excellence Exhibition Győr and concert; Joint tree planting and Shoa Commemoration in the cemetery; Farewell lunch; Other
3. If you ticked the “Other” option in question 2, what specifically do you mean?
I loved all of it but also having the opportunity to meet and get to know others from around the world. ; Meeting so many people from around the world with common backgrounds and stories. ; Congregating with our bretheren. ; Meet people, get to know other people, have discussions.
4. How did you find the preparation and running of the Meeting? (1=bad; 5=excellent)
5. Did you manage to meet old and new friends and acquaintances at the Reunion?
6. Do you keep in touch with the participants of the Reunion?
7. How to strengthen the network of the newly established Jewish community in Győr? One could tick more than one response.
8. If you ticked “Other” in question 7, what is your specific proposal?
Organising meetings. ; If possible, it would be wonderful to hold another gathering in 3-5 years. ; Children are the future. We must sponsor understanding and Győr Jewish history in schools. I would personally be happy to sponsor an annual prize for the best book review by students aged 13 of “The pebbles of memory” by Eva Klein. ; The meeting itself, meeting other people, making friends, talking. ; Facebook group. ; All participants will be asked to introduce themselves digitally. Describe your family history, share your experience of being in Győr and other related thoughts.
9. Do you agree with the Foundation’s 2025 educational project on “Jewry-inclusion-exclusion” to be implemented in Győr high schools and university, which aims to combat anti-Semitism? Check it out here! You can tick more than one response.
10. If you (also) suggest other activity for question 9, what is it?
I am happy to sponsor an annual prize for 13 year old kid.
11. Do you have any questions, suggestions or proposals addressed to the Jewish Roots in Győr Charitable Foundation? See our activities here: Website + Facebook
We would like to discuss the possibilities of cooperating in the commemoration activities in Israel. I would be happy to coordinate a conference call on this topic. ; Once again, congratulations for the excellent organisation and execution. ; Thank you very much for the opportunity! May God bless your work. ; Get funding from George Soros. ; Achieve the identification of each gravestone in the cemetery, digitally file it and make it freely available.
The survey was conducted using Google Forms by Péter Krausz