jews and jewish education in germany today - The Westbury Group

2. DMITRI BELKIN
Frankfurt, June 8, 2009
● Dr. Belkin, were there any specific motivations for you to take over the organization of a broad exhibition
on 20 years of Russian-Jewish immigration to Germany?
No. This was the specific request of the Jewish Museum from Frankfurt. And I think it’s a very good idea.
This is, on the one hand, a very young story, and on the other it’s already history, because there’s a
chronological order between 1991-2004/5 and you can say that this story is ending. The museum wants most
of all to deal with contemporary current events. That was why they approached me.
● You mentioned that you’re also a member of the Jewish Community in Frankfurt. Where would you place
yourself within a specific denomination within Judaism?
I prefer a Judaism that perhaps doesn’t exist yet in Germany. I stand for a more Liberal interpretation of
Conservative Judaism, for an egalitarian version. But here in Frankfurt my family and I are in the United
Community with the egalitarian minyan, that’s a more Liberal version of Judaism.
● How would describe the general perspectives that Jewish Community life, or Jewish life in general, are
facing now in Germany?
The question is a bit vague.
● To be more specific, how do you see the demographic development? And secondly, do you think that Jewish
pluralism is developing, or is it too early for that?
Demographically speaking, the situation is still open. It depends on how political this immigration will turn
out to be. The Communities were saved by the immigration, but the fact is, and you know this as well, the
immigration was very old. The Community members, not all of those who immigrated by any means, but in
general the Community members are growing older and older. The situation that could have taken place here
already, might turn out to be the situation that we’re going to face in 25-30 years again. In 20-30 years the
Communities are going to grow smaller again and then a new influx of immigrants is called for and the
Russians will be the veterans, and then the Russians or post-Soviets will have to integrate the new ones. I see
the demographic development not necessarily optimistically. The future is wide open. This immigration, the
main results were of a political nature. There is once again a German Jewry and Jews in Germany. The future
is open, demographically speaking.
Talking about the perspectives for pluralism in the Communities, there I’m more optimistic and I hope that
the Frankfurt model isn’t a bad solution. The United Community tries to unite two-three denominations under
one roof. This perhaps won’t work in other places, because this construct, this political willingness to
compromise isn’t always to be found in other places in Germany. So that I think that it will mainly be about if
the United Community can be maintained in the long run with this state financing. This is unique in the
world. I don’t think this model exists anywhere else. We’ll have to see if this works. This requires a high
level of political willingness and the readiness to compromise.
● Which are the most urgent problems that need to be solved in the Jewish Community in Germany?
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