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The Week in Germany: Politics June 3, 2005 Exhibition examines "vibrant and flourishing" Jewish life in Germany
Addressing Jewish community leaders at the Washington, DC, opening of the exhibition "New Jewish Life in Berlin," Peter Gottwald, Deputy Chief of Mission for the Germany Embassy, said that Jewish culture is again a vibrant part of today's Germany. Calling the development of Jewish life in Germany "extraordinary," Gottwald noted that Germany now has the third-largest — and fastest growing — Jewish community in Europe. The vitality of that community, whose population has tripled in the past decade alone, is on show in the exhibition "New Jewish Life in Berlin" at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, DC. Led by executive director Judith Levy, the splendidly restored synagogue provides a Jewish presence and meeting place in the heart of the nation's capital.
Its latest exhibition includes colorful displays featuring images of restored synagogues, schools and community centers in the German capital. Another part of the exhibition, which is a project of New Synagogue Berlin-Centrum Judaicum Foundation, examines acclaimed architect Daniel Libeskind's landmark Jewish Museum. The show also sheds light on the everyday lives of Jewish Berliners with a display of covers from the popular magazine juedisches Berlin (Jewish Berlin). The exhibition is especially timely in a year when Germany is marking both the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Israel, said Gottwald.
Indeed, Gottwald's remarks came on the same day that Israeli President Moshe Katsav charted the evolution of relations between Germans and Israelis in a historic address to Germany's Bundestag parliament. "Let us transform the trauma of the past into a hope for the future, our special relationship into a bridge of friendship among nations, an anchor against totalitarianism and for human values — a message of humanity against racism and anti-Semitism," Katsav said. Gottwald echoed those sentiments in Washington, expressing his hope that future generations of Germans and Jews will work together to uphold the values of tolerance and democracy. "In light of history, it seems a miracle that Jewish life in Germany is vibrant and flourishing again, enriching our cultural life in Germany," Gottwald said. "We are very happy about that." "New Jewish Life in Berlin" is open until July 15th at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I Street NW, Washington, DC. Links:
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