jews and jewish education in germany today - The Westbury Group

More documents

Recommendations

Info

● How were the book reviews? If there were criticisms about the book, it was that it’s a great book, but why did the caretaker have to be Jewish? I think you can encounter something like that only in Germany. That really made me mad. ● Part of the abnormality in the present relations between non-Jews and Jews in Germany? Yes, but there are more difficulties. For example, if you aren’t a member and don’t go to a synagogue, then it’s very difficult to meet other Jews in Germany. That’s a problem. I think that’s a reason why relatively many Jews go to the synagogue, or belong to a Community. Maybe they don’t go to the synagogue, but they’re members. ● Do you think that there could be institutions or networks being on equal footing in importance with the synagogue? Do you think there are models for this? I could imagine something like that with all the Russian immigrants. I think that they would bring a completely different approach to Germany. The struggles the Russian immigrants have in the synagogues in Germany are really hard, and there is a kind of racism that I find horrible. ● From the German side or from the Russian? From the German side. There’s a strange air of dominance, the idea that the immigrants need to adapt and no one has looked to see what the immigrants are bringing with them, what they could contribute or what is important to them. It’s assumed that they don’t have anything to contribute; that they don’t know anything about Judaism, we need to teach them everything and it reminds me a little of the time after the Berlin Wall fell. I was aware that this is history and there was a kind of colonialization from West German women, regarding the East German women’s movement. Everything that had existed and was really good was completely ignored and even fought against. I think it’s similar when I see the Russian immigrants. They’re coming from the East. I haven’t thought about it on a deeper level, but I’ve noticed that there’s not much openness to what the people have to offer. ● Is it really a problem in the small Liberal Communities? Of course. Most Liberal Communities have a lot of Russian immigrants. I’ve experienced it in Oldenburg first hand. There was the attempt, without glancing at what the people had to offer, to force them into the system as it existed. I think that the young people will emancipate themselves from this. That’s my hope at least. ● There is a discrepancy between the 200,000 Jews in Germany and the 100,000 in Communities, why is this? I think it has also something to do with cultural barriers. But you know, culture can just do the opposite and help to find mutual approaches. Culture meaning music, literature, things in this direction, and as a meeting place. When I see the young people today, there’s Jung und Jüdisch, for example, and that’s someplace where young people really feel comfortable. It has something to do with religion, but also mostly with the development of one’s own identity and tradition. What could become important for us, to experiment with that, to spend weekends with each other? A lot is happening. ● You are an active member of the Liberal Jewish Community Gesher le Massoret in Cologne. What do you think are the largest problems or challenges currently facing German Jewry? 131 | P a g e
Opening to different movements. That’s the greatest challenge. Orthodox, Liberal, Conservative, Progressive, that they can exist on equal footing in Germany. That’s the greatest challenge. ● And that’s now not the case, I mean structurally speaking? Not at all. It’s been fought actively. The Central Council doesn’t look good here. It’s so sad because it also frightens away many Jews. ● The conflicts themselves? Yes. ● But Jewish pluralism in Germany has a future? Yes, I could imagine. Leaving aside the possibility that things could take a turn for the worse in this country under times of very bad political and social turmoil, I think there is even a chance that Liberal Judaism could become much stronger than Orthodox here. That the tide could change. There are a lot of things supporting this idea. That’s also why I think the resistance in the Central Council is so strong, because it can’t be repressed. They’re trying everything, but I think this is the way of the future. ● Do you think that the connection or the sense of identifying with Israel will remain as strong over the next 20 years as it has been during the last decades? Yes, I think so. Absolutely. ● Do you think that the Russian speaking immigrant members still have urgent issues that remain unresolved? Yes, but these urgent problems are connected to the status of the Jews from the former Soviet Union in this country. And there’s a clear discrimination against the Jewish immigrants compared to the ethnic Germans who came from the former Soviet Union at the same time. The ethnic Germans were at some point considered German and have a completely different financial background from the Jewish immigrants. They receive a government stipend to cover their basic needs. The ethnic Germans receive pensions that are calculated as if they had always worked in Germany. For me that’s a huge injustice. The Jewish immigrants aren’t considered German, but the ethnic repatriates are. I don’t know how many generations they’ve been living there [in the FSU], and they are considered German. I think this is one of the main reasons for the glaring racism in Germany. This affects the Jewish immigrants, they receive welfare and pensions, but these are basically restitution payments. Because they were persecuted as children by the Nazis, this is calculated as part of their welfare payments. ● You speak about the elderly among the Russian Jewish immigrants? Yes. If they receive a Russian victim restitution payment, they also pay that, like here in Germany, there’s a law here for that as well. In Germany this money cannot be counted as part of other income sources, but the Russian payments are counted. This leads to massive problems for the older Russian immigrants, because they are already living at the poverty line and haven’t declared these payments and should now repay them. ● So it’s being taken out of their welfare here? Yes. 132 | P a g e
Page 1 and 2:
JEWS AND JEWISH EDUCATION IN GERMAN
Page 3 and 4:
Leading figures: The agenda of the
Page 5 and 6:
1. TOBY AXELROD May 13, 2009, Berli
Page 7 and 8:
Yes. Aside from the three-day festi
Page 9 and 10:
2. DMITRI BELKIN Frankfurt, June 8,
Page 11 and 12:
lives, they would say that they are
Page 13 and 14:
● And how much are they percentag
Page 15 and 16:
This has been different from town t
Page 17 and 18:
something that would be different?
Page 19 and 20:
oth are led without contact or with
Page 21 and 22:
don’t go to synagogue every Sabba
Page 23 and 24:
Germany after the 1990’s is a del
Page 25 and 26:
● It’s probably an unusual situ
Page 27 and 28:
18-30 year olds, yes, and within it
Page 29 and 30:
● Well, Chabad could say they’r
Page 31 and 32:
in German politics. This still does
Page 33 and 34:
I think the Jüdische Allgemeine Wo
Page 35 and 36:
I would say so. The Community reall
Page 37 and 38:
think you know them better, I’m t
Page 39 and 40:
centers. The state supports them in
Page 41 and 42:
7. GESA EDERBERG May 4, 2009, Berli
Page 43 and 44:
these spaces. Places where people m
Page 45 and 46:
the respective Community and less o
Page 47 and 48:
synagogue to meet the people and th
Page 49 and 50:
8. DAVID GALL May 28, 2009, Munich,
Page 51 and 52:
if the people in the Ministry don
Page 53 and 54:
presume, the close connection with
Page 55 and 56:
The question is how could they thro
Page 57 and 58:
● Is the percentage of young peop
Page 59 and 60:
Israel is important. I can’t say
Page 61 and 62:
Very poorly. People might be willin
Page 63 and 64:
This would only be possible with st
Page 65 and 66:
Yes, I see it in the bigger Communi
Page 67 and 68:
● What the perspectives for someb
Page 69 and 70:
Now we are also in talks with the U
Page 71 and 72:
● At least probably for those who
Page 73 and 74:
I am sure that one of the next issu
Page 75 and 76:
● There was an overall survey in
Page 77 and 78:
12. KÜF KAUFMANN June 17, 2009, Le
Page 79 and 80:
keep the kindergarten afloat financ
Page 81 and 82: meeting the board member responsibl
Page 83 and 84: Probably everything together, we wo
Page 85 and 86: 13. CHARLOTTE KNOBLOCH June 19, 200
Page 87 and 88: 10. Many Jews in Germany seem to ke
Page 89 and 90: 14. MICHAEL KOGAN June 12, 2009, D
Page 91 and 92: ● If you come to the Community be
Page 93 and 94: ● You mean there are good things
Page 95 and 96: 15. SERGEY LAGODINSKY June 11, 2009
Page 97 and 98: ● Would you say that most Russian
Page 99 and 100: to make a big fuss out of not being
Page 101 and 102: 16. ARKADY LITVAN May 27, 2009, Han
Page 103 and 104: can’t speak German well up to tod
Page 105 and 106: ● Another youth center? Our youth
Page 107 and 108: 17. JEWGENIJ SINGER June 8, 2009, F
Page 109 and 110: philosophical concept of Liberal Ju
Page 111 and 112: For the Community board election, f
Page 113 and 114: The social circumstances have impro
Page 115 and 116: Well, from the perspective of the F
Page 117 and 118: understand me in stores or doctors
Page 119 and 120: librarians all over Germany. Now we
Page 121 and 122: Yes, and in Hebrew. That’s one di
Page 123 and 124: organize that with the help of othe
Page 125 and 126: will be some immigrants who are dee
Page 127 and 128: We started with 17 kids, and I thin
Page 129 and 130: ● What do you think about the gen
Page 131: and the question exactly how volunt
Page 135 and 136: young people are always treated as
Page 137 and 138: I think what is really missing is t
Page 139 and 140: Community]. I don’t see this plur
Page 141 and 142: ● What are the principal Jewish s
Page 143 and 144: � What would you say about the yo
Page 145 and 146: throughout Germany]. They come out
Page 147 and 148: There are some challenges of true a
Page 149 and 150: Unfortunately, the reporting about
show all

jews and jewish education in germany today - The Westbury Group

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?