Reflections by Martin Michaels, Emily Richman, Jeremy Adams, Rachel Cohen, Millie Rosen & Jessica Katz.
This summer, twenty-six American Jews – teachers, lawyers and writers, women and men from different parts of the U.S. – were brought together by a common history and desire to learn about the Holocaust: they embarked on a travel seminar to Germany in association with Germany Close Up. On their first trip to Germany, they discovered a society still reconciling with its tragic past, and explored many interesting questions: Have the roots of anti-semitism and racism been effectively eradicated in Germany? Do Jewish communities feel safe and secure living in Germany today just several decades after the Holocaust?
While the bulk of the 12-day trip was filled with tours of important historic sites such as Sachsenhausen concentration camp, Track 17, and the Berlin Holocaust Memorial, and spanned German cities like Berlin, Potsdam, Worms, Heidelberg and Frankfurt, it was punctuated with thought-provoking lectures and discussions led by German policy-makers, activists, volunteers, and members of what appears to be a healthy, perhaps even burgeoning Jewish community of 100,000 living in Germany today.
Hans-Ulrich Klose (former member of the German Bundestag), shared with the group that, for many non-Jewish citizens of Germany, having a Jewish community of any size is a miracle worth celebrating after the Shoah and WWII – a point of interest for some trip participants who were surprised to see how policy-makers have taken this issue to heart.
Equally as astonishing to some members of the group is the effort undertaken by non-Jewish volunteer groups to maintain Jewish sites such as cemeteries that would otherwise go untended. Our group joined high-school age German volunteers in clearing a section of the Jewish Cemetery of Weissensee from branches, and we uncovered many overgrown headstones. That day, some volunteers helped a family find the headstone of their ancestors, a very emotional experience for all involved. Many of us were impressed by the students’ passion for helping Jews affected by events that occurred over 70 years prior. For many young Germans today, Jewish history is an inseparable part of their national history, and there is a strong desire to learn about the Holocaust while building interreligious, and even international coalitions for peace. Toward that end, Thomas Heldt, a member of Action Reconciliation Service for Peace, spoke to the group about the service-learning projects he and many other volunteers complete in dozens of countries around the world each year, including Germany, the U.S., and Israel.
The group also attended a touching Shabbat service at the Fraenkelufer Synagogue in Berlin-Kreuzberg with members of the community. After the Birkas HaMazon (grace after the meal) there was lots of lively singing. It reminded us that no matter where we are, celebrating Shabbat is an important – and comforting – weekly event. On a visit to Track 17, one of the major sites of deportation of the Berlin Jews, the group held a moving memorial service at this now-closed track – a beautiful ceremony remembering the past while honoring our future.
The German government has made Holocaust education an essential part of rebuilding. Dr. Felix Klein, the German Government’s Special Representative for Relations with the Jewish Community, spoke about his government’s focus and commitment in this area. The group learned how the Holocaust is taught in Germany and that currently the government would like to shift its educational policy to reflect fewer analyses of propaganda, and more first hand witness accounts. There is nothing more important than studying the past first-hand and using it as a poignant reminder to carry on our work with a deeper sense of urgency, as educators, writers and members of the community.
Germany’s ability and drive to change went above and beyond what we expected to see. This change didn’t happen by coincidence but through a firm resolve to create and re-build a better society. Now it’s our turn to remember and to consciously build a peaceful world free from anti-semitism, racism, and discrimination.