jews and jewish education in germany today - The Westbury Group

that is Judaism in Germany at the present. They might treat individual Jews badly, but not the officially
defined representatives.
● How do you perceive the current relationship between Jews and non-Jews in Germany?
The almost 400,000 hits on Ha Galil every month show that the interest is out there [among the non-Jewish
population]. Many are looking for connections to Jews somewhere, even if they just want to meet other Jews.
There are people in Munich who spend most of their time with Jews and never have been to the new
Community center.
● They feel inhibited?
Not because they have inhibitions, but because they just have completely different interests. The center is
also representation. Not least that representation of German society as Jewish-friendly.
● You think that this is too artificial for these people?
It is artificial in some way, yes.
● They’re avoiding official celebrations in the Jewish Communities as well?
Yes, it’s also not attractive for them. And in fact, what’s going on at such political events and celebrations?
Usually they begin with a long speech from the chair, which doesn’t necessarily tell you anything new; word
has gotten out that something terrible happened in Germany. And that’s already ¾ of the speaking time. Then
you need to say that it’s necessary that it never happen again, and that’s the last 15 minutes. And each person
only has a certain amount of time to live. You don’t necessarily want to go through that more than once.
● There you touch the well-known point of criticism that German Jewry is very busy with Holocaust
remembrance and solidarity with Israel, but beyond this doesn’t have a lot of its own. Wouldn’t you agree
that there are a lot of fresh, new, innovative projects at least in education and Jewish culture?
Maybe so, but these are all things that are coming from outside. If something seems to question the
established structures, it has to go without support by the leading bodies.
If something like Limmud has reached a certain size, then they’ll open the Community center for a couple of
hours. Ha Galil is a similar story. If something has a fresh impetus and continues and is successful, then it
will be somehow involved. But these are all things that have come from individuals and been developed
further. All of these things are moving in the direction of pluralism. That means that they were naturally not
initiated within the established structures. I’ve said myself that normality and Jewish life; vitality in Germany
can only exist then when Jewish initiatives are seen as Jewish initiatives in Germany, as part of German
society and also the support and sponsorship is direct and not over established Jewish institutions. Today
everything having to do with Judaism is first sent to the Zentralrat.
● Have you already been active with the Limmud movement in Munich?
No, I haven’t.
● But Ha Galil reports about it.
Yes, of course we report about it. Limmud was not the idea of the Zentralrat, neither was the opening of the
Abraham Geiger College or the establishment of a seminary for future Cantors for Europe.
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