jews and jewish education in germany today - The Westbury Group

something that would be different? I think that on a local level, it’s not a bad idea, to have a program here or
in Berlin or in Baden-Württemberg, for example.
● Do you think it would make sense for a Russian-speaking public to have something like the German
language Jewish web portal Ha Galil in Russian?
The Russian Jews, as you know, have excellent web networks and links. They are present in the Internet.
They’re mostly in the blogs and chats beyond those from the national sites. They’re blogging and chatting
with Americans and Israelis. For me personally, I don’t need it. But maybe because I’m so entrenched here in
the German discourse. It’s hard to say. Maybe for my parents. It might not be a bad idea, but I don’t think
they feel the need for it, to be honest.
● How far will the synagogue hold the major role and how far are educational structures central
institutions? Do you see alternative models coming?
Which model? The religious or the cultural?
● The cultural.
It would certainly have a chance, but in Germany it’s a question of communication with state authorities. As
opposed to America, you get funding here from a central location. Who should distribute the money to many
different places, the synagogues, cultural places and so on? As long as this question is being raised, and it’s
an essential question, you can see it in the discussion if whether Orthodox or Liberal congregations should
receive funding; you can see how difficult it is for the local clerks to decide. How can they decide when they
don’t know anything about the traditions? German officials would need to have a Jewish scholar in every
office like in the Russian empire. You know, in Tsarist Russia, there was an office mediating between the
governors, a Jewish scholar. That would be a job niche. I would imagine it would be very hard as a
representative of the German state to distribute the money. And then to the Jews, as that is such a delicate
topic in this country. It’s not for nothing that the representatives of the Central Council talk about retaining
the United Community. Not because they’re such adherents of this model, but because they see that there’s
no alternative to it now with the state. How this will be when the new generation of politicians becomes
active, Jewish politicians in the Zentralrat or in the Communities, that’s hard to say. But back to the different
models, I’d predict that in the near future, for my lifetime it will remain the type of religious Community in
Germany. Germany is also a very conservative country. Not in the sense of being politically conservative, but
in the sense that tradition plays a large role. You can’t change things from one day to the next here, not like in
America, and I appreciate this. This conservatism isn’t necessarily negative. You can say that you can
continue to build things up.
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