A Love Story Forged in Jewish Hungary
This young couple found the foundation for a strong, lasting marriage in JDC-supported programs and initiatives.
By The JDC Team | August 1, 2025
A spontaneous decision led Gergő Borbás — creative director at the JDC-supported JCC Budapest-Bálint Ház in the Hungarian capital — to meet his future wife Lili Komjáthy. Both leaders in Jewish Budapest, they have built their married life around the very community that has strengthened and supported them as Jews.
As Tu B’Av approaches, we sat down with Gergő and Lili to discuss their love story, the secret to a successful marriage, and the role that JDC and JCC Budapest have played in sparking their relationship.
Q: How did you two meet?
Gergő Borbás: There’s no story more Jewish than this. Lili was planning to move into the Moishe House, and she was already participating as a future resident in their very first program. It happened to be a Passover Seder, and I was also invited.
I’d been invited to many Moishe House events before but always had other plans. This time, though — on a whim, while heading home from JCC Budapest’s Spring Camp — I decided to go. I figured it would be nice to be around people, and hey, I knew I’d have at least four glasses of wine.
That’s where we met for the first time. Ironically, Lili never actually moved into the Moishe House…
Q: Tell us about your wedding.
Lili Komjáthy: We wanted a modern wedding rooted in Jewish traditions. We involved all our friends — one of them made the chuppah, the second took photos, a third played music, and another, the head of Dor Hadas, a local Masorti community, married us.
GB: Everything was perfect. Even the summer storm couldn’t ruin our outdoor wedding. It truly reflected who we are. And yes, the menu was pizza.
Q: What role does your Jewish life — including JCC Budapest — play in your relationship? How does it strengthen your bond?
GB: We often joke that Lili is the JCC’s most active volunteer, and it’s true. The JCC isn’t just a workplace, it’s a lifestyle. Both of us walk into JCC Budapest like we’re walking into our second home. No one is surprised when Lili’s brainstorming craft ideas at a family camp meeting — it’s a place where everyone feels like kin and ideas flow freely.
But it’s not just about embracing our Jewishness out in the open — we also love living our traditions at home. Lili bakes the best challah in town, and we cherish the peace of Shabbat to close the week together. We enjoy having friends over in our tiny apartment and cooking a Chanukah dinner for 20. Celebrating together is a deeply important part of our life.
Q: What makes JCC Budapest such a vital institution in the Hungarian Jewish community?
LK: For many people, JCC Budapest-Bálint Ház is the first community where they can truly explore and embrace their Jewish identity — whatever form that takes. It’s an open, welcoming, critical-thinking Jewish space that doesn’t hand out answers but encourages questions.
GB: It doesn’t tell you how to be Jewish — it helps you discover the way that works best for you. Like most of Hungarian Jewry, it’s largely secular, and institutions like this have a rightful and necessary place in the wider community. It’s about freedom and authenticity — and the need for both is only growing.
Q: How do you see Szarvas, the JDC-Lauder international Jewish summer camp in rural Hungary, as a driver of Jewish leadership in the country and beyond?
GB: Szarvas is the most powerful identity-shaping experience for the younger generation. No project or event has such a lasting impact on kids as the community they encounter in camp. Both JCC Budapest and other organizations build on this experience and strive to nurture it year-round.
Our partnership with Szarvas is fantastic — many of our staff and participants come from among the madrichim (counselors) and campers. Institutionally, our connection grows deeper and more complex every year.
Q: How would you describe JDC’s role in your community?
GB: JDC is like the best mentor. From the very beginning, it has supported, nurtured, and helped revive the Hungarian Jewish community since after the fall of communism. This relationship is special — we always know we can turn to JDC for knowledge and support. What we’ve built over the past 30 years with their help is truly extraordinary.
While JCC Budapest-Bálint Ház is now an independent institution, our strong connection with JDC has continued and evolved. We still feel at home there. JDC donors — including those who support JCC Budapest-Bálint Ház — are much more than just supporters. They’re family, friends, advisors, and inspiration. We owe them so much, and we hope they continue to see our work as worthy of their support.
Q: What inspired you to apply for JDC’s Kaplan Leadership Initiative? What excites you about the Fellowship?
GB: I wanted to be part of a community of people working in similar fields across Europe and the world. To understand their challenges, share experiences, learn from each other, build joint projects and networks, and grow together — professionally and personally. I wanted to find that professional community where I feel at home. We’ve only just completed the first seminar, but I already feel like I’ve found it.
JDC is like the best mentor. From the very beginning, it has supported, nurtured, and helped revive the Hungarian Jewish community.
Q: What do you love most about each other?
LK: He laughs at my jokes, and not many people do. What I love most about him is that he’s honest, devoted, and always shows up exactly where he needs to be.
GB: What I love most about Lili is how authentic she is — she’s so present in every situation. From the very beginning, we became a team. We build our life together, no matter what challenges come our way. She’s smart, thoughtful, and she adores our now-shared dog, Vilma.
Q: What’s your advice for a successful relationship?
GB: A relationship is a covenant — an agreement between the two of us to live life together from now on. We know these kinds of covenants well in Jewish tradition. For the rest of our lives, we are us, but that doesn’t mean we stop being individuals. It’s yours, mine, and ours — all at once.
Gergő Borbás serves as the creative director of JCC Budapest-Bálint Ház. Born and raised in Budapest, Hungary, Borbás is also an actor, director, producer, and founder of Personal Histories-Theatre na de Dam Budapest, a program in which high school students meet with Holocaust survivors for in-depth discussions that they then transform into plays.
Lili Komjáthy is a recent psychology graduate from Budapest with a passion for child development. As a dedicated former member of Moishe House Budapest, she brought energy and creativity to the community. With a professional focus on child psychology, Lili excels at creating warm, imaginative, and inclusive spaces for children at JCC programs.
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