jews and jewish education in germany today - The Westbury Group

Not long ago, for the first time after the war, Rabbis were ordained in Germany. They are unmistakably
Orthodox. One of them is from this Ukrainian-Jewish milieu. This is exciting and an interesting development.
I would like to see the two-three other denominations, which are a bit more Liberal, also receive new Rabbis.
Such Rabbis would be able to take care of smaller Communities as well, and I think that’s important.
Then the youth work is still a central theme. How can we attract the youth, the socially fully integrated
Russian/post-Soviet Jewish youth to the Communities? That’s also a challenge.
And there’s now for me personally also an exciting challenge. How do I construct a new German Jewish
history? Or a Jewish history in Germany? This history no longer has anything to do with the traditional
German Jewish history. We need to see how the post-Soviet Israeli and new German discourses can be
connected.
● Maybe as a part of the current collective identity?
There isn’t this kind of collective identity in Germany. There are different identities inside the wider
community. And that’s the way it should be in part. This is also a model found in Israel. Just here everything
is very close on the one hand and on the other very diverse. There you’ve got to see what happens.
● How would you describe the current relations between the immigrants from the former Soviet Union and
the veterans in the Jewish communities?
I would say in general, that there is still a pretty large distance between them. This is not growing smaller in
my view.
● Even in Frankfurt?
Even in Frankfurt. In Frankfurt the thing is that, in the meantime, many members have made mutual contacts
through the schools, for example, or Community events. But personal contacts on a normal level between the
old and the new members are very few, there is almost no communication. Why this is the case, this is the
question that lies with the Germans. Many, the old and the new, have a feeling of being alienated, and that
has something to do with being in this country. And now there’s a feeling of double-alienation. You can’t say
it’s our fault, or their fault. It’s no one’s fault. It’s just the way situation is. The more post-Soviet immigrants
who are more or less fluent in German and mentally are in Germany, the easier it will be. And the veterans
should give up many prejudices they have about the so-called Russians. That’s a reciprocal process. I don’t
think the older generation has many chances to improve it, but the younger certainly do. Just out of pragmatic
reasons. A chance of meaningful communication, I mean.
● Is your and your family’s closest social network is still primarily Russian speaking?
No. I wouldn’t say that. For my family that isn’t so. Russian is spoken at home, and communicating with the
older generation also takes place in Russian, but our contacts in Frankfurt are 2/3 German. But that’s not on
purpose, and there are also many former immigrants who see it as an exception to have German Jewish
friends.
● How would you describe the relations between the active secular Jews and the active religious Jews? Are
there tensions, is there acceptance or coexistence?
It’s difficult to say. I think in general the relations are ok. As Dieter Graumann [Vice President of the Central
Council of Jews in Germany, O.G.] likes to say, here in the Community, and as an editor of the Community
paper, the main thing is that every denomination should be Jewish. It doesn’t matter how, but it should be
Jewish. That’s true up to a certain point. On the other hand, if you ask traditional veterans who lead Orthodox
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