Our days have been so full of activity, it is often difficult to remember what we did and when. Friday was remarkable both for the volume and diversity of activities, covering an array of bases from the political to the whimsical to the spiritual.
We began the day with a speaker, Karsten Voigt, whose political career has spanned approximately 40 years. The contrasts between the German and American electoral structures were striking. We learned how Germany’s structure was deliberately developed to avoid pre-WWII features that had allowed for Hitler’s consolidation of power. Germany presently has multiple political parties, and the number of their seats in parliament are awarded based directly on the proportion of votes they achieve. This avoids too much consolidation under any one political party, and also necessitates parties working together to form coalitions. The difference in campaign financing was most striking to me— the parties themselves receive government funding based on the number of votes that they get, and candidates/parties also receive proportional promotion time on public television (which is widely watched by the German public). This is so vastly different than our privately financed, highly aggressive campaign culture. We also had the opportunity to speak with Matthias Mau, a clerk with the Federal Foreign Office, about his work in trade policy, and how recent (quick) changes in US trade policy has impacted Germany and Europe.
We followed up this thought-provoking morning with an outing to a renowned Gelateria. When it comes to ice cream, Germany does not hold back, and I was very excited to partake in some over-the-top ice cream sundaes.
We finished the day in a true celebration of Shabbat with our new friends at Fraenkelufer Synagogue. I find it to be extremely stressful to go into a synagogue where I don’t know what the specific traditions and practices are, because I’m so afraid of doing something wrong or offending someone, but we were immediately welcomed and connections quickly made. The service began with singing Yedid Nefesh, and I was comforted by the familiar melody. The service was followed by a hearty dinner, joyful song and conversation with our new friends. The crowd was extremely diverse— hailing from Germany, the USA, Russia, Australia, Latin America and many other countries. After spending so much time on this trip learning about the atrocities of the past, it was such an inspiration to see this vibrant and joyful Jewish community.
Elizabeth Collura lives in Pittsburgh, PA.