jews and jewish education in germany today - The Westbury Group

● That’s more the political side. Do you see Israel continuing to be the religious, cultural and spiritual
center for the Diaspora in the long run?
I understand, but our long run isn’t very positive. In the long run we’re all dead.
● Who said that?
John Maynard Keynes. Now seriously, in the long run we will surely be dead, but the idea will live on.
Israel itself, but most of all the idea of a Jewish state. Israel will live on. I think that should continue to play
a role for the Communities. How large this role should be will be determined by the democratic process,
that you can influence now and at every moment. I think that Israel should continue to play an important
role. I think that we shouldn’t just feel solidarity, but also identify with it, and it should also remain the
center not only for Jewish philosophy, but for the further development of religious concepts within the
Orthodox congregation. In the long run, it should remain the center of Judaism because you simply don’t
have the same creative possibilities anywhere else.
● Let’s talk about BJSD (Federal Union of Jewish Students in Germany). How long have you been in it?
I have to distinguish between the Federal Union and the State Union here in Hesse. I was first a delegate
from the Hessian Union four-five years ago and attended the national meetings.
● Did you have a specific motivating factor?
The important thing is that you do the work, regardless in what form, based on your convictions. My
motivation was the fact that I wanted to represent the idea of Judaism and Jewish life eloquently because I
knew that in the Soviet Union this would not have been possible. Here when you receive the opportunity to
do so, it would almost be criminal not to take advantage of it. I would like to actively engage others. I
wanted to make up for what has been lost and animate others, especially immigrants. I still want to animate
them to become much more active in the Jewish Community.
● Could you please say a few things about the current composition of the BJSD? Who are the most active,
how many are veterans, how many new members? Programmatically speaking, are things getting better or
worse?
As I said, the economists would say that the market exists. There are people who are interested in these
events, and not just in the BJSD, but in many organizations dealing with young people in Germany. I don’t
know what it’s like in other countries, but I’ve heard that it’s similar. That’s why you need people with
leadership qualities. You need leaders, people who create and form. The demand is there, the market is
there, just there aren’t enough leaders and this is because no one tries to engage such people or to hire them
or mentor them. That’s a large problem. There aren’t enough suitable people, because on the one hand no
one tried to engage those who are suitable and on the other hand because in many Communities and
organizations there wasn’t sufficient incentive to deal with this age group.
● Sounds very contra-productive.
It is contra-productive. This age group is not very interesting for the elections, when we want to really
almost over-simplify. That’s why people aren’t concentrating their energies on them.
● You mean in the Communities?
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