The Movement for Reform Judaism

Of all the major cities in Europe, Berlin looms large in significance, especially for us Jews. From the 7th to the 10th of December, my wife Ros and I participated in a tour to Berlin organised by The Movement for Reform Judaism. Our guides were two Israeli forty somethings. Jeremy Leigh, British born, whose background is as an historian and educator. Julian Resnick, South African born, educator and administrator. They had thoroughly researched the Berlin Jewish story and the result was a complete experience. Our party of 32 included two rabbis of which one was our own Steven Katz accompanied by Sandra. The other – Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand who works for the Reform Movement - was accompanied by her unborn twins travelling in comfort. At least half of the rest were Hendon Reform Synagogue members thanks to an ad in this newsletter.

Day One found us arriving at the hotel during the late afternoon. We boarded our very comfortable coach warmly dressed ready for the challenge. That evening by way of introduction we stood on Kurfurstendam, in the middle of a Christmas market, opposite the ruined spire of the Kaiser Wilhelms Kirche with its new glass tower by its side.

We then saw a preserved section of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, and the Brandenburg Gate. Each stop connected to important changes in history and the changing face of modern Europe. Finally, most moving of all, we stood under the night sky, among the hundreds of stone monoliths, the Memorial to the Jews of Europe murdered by the Germans during the Holocaust. This memorial, recently finished was designed by Peter Eisenman. I found it most significant that the literature provided states “Germans” and does not hide behind the word “Nazis”. The site is that of Gestapo headquarters and is within yards of the Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag.

Our opening dinner that night was at a large restaurant in the Art Deco Hackescher Hof complex. This was in the heart of one of the Jewish centres of pre-war Berlin. Naturally the discussions continued over our excellent meal.

The next day saw us examining the site of the medieval community around the Red Rathouse (Town Hall). We were reminded how we alternately prospered as traders and money lenders and subsequently suffered massacre, executions and expulsion.

By the eighteenth Century the Jews of Berlin prospered and lived in the area known as Gross Hamburger (Big Mac). We walked into what seemed a secluded park with mature trees. This was a 200 year old cemetery which the Nazis had ploughed over. One solitary grave has been replaced, and was piled with stones. It is dedicated to the great Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. However like so many others his children were baptised.

Thence to the Synagogue in Oranienburgstrasse. This beautiful domed building was erected mid 19th century, and could seat thousands of Reform Worshippers. Sadly it was partially destroyed on Kristallnacht 1938. Part of it has now been restored and serves as a shul, museum and Mikveh. I was puzzled when I saw a poster from the 1880s advertising Havdalah on a Sunday night. For a period Shabbat was moved to Sunday so that Jews could be seen to conform as good Germans. We returned to this shul later for Shabbat evening service. We were treated to a young female cantor with a sweet voice. The congregation was swelled by our group as well as a group from Venice so the room was pretty full. School German came in handy as the sermon on Jacob wrestling with the angel was all “auf Deutsche.” We ate together in the Kadima Jewish-style restaurant next door. In case you are wondering, they did serve Matzo Ball Soup.

Saturday morning service, with our new draft Siddurs, was held at the hotel and led by Rabbi Steven. There was also some lively discussion.

The Berlin Jewish museum is an iconic piece of modern architecture designed by Daniel Liebskind. It is one of the most exciting Jewish museums I have ever visited. It specifically tackles the issue of Jewish/German identity through the ages. Some Jews lived in Koln (Colonia) in Roman times. There were Jews living in the area of Germany 1000 years ago, especially in Worms, Speyer and Spandau. An atmosphere of their life is achieved through films, exhibits, sounds and there is a particularly poignant commemoration of the Holocaust. One enters a metal walled, dimly lit irregular shaped space where the sound of the city is excluded. The space tapers upwards into nothingness.

Some of us then revisited the Holocaust memorial to see the exhibits situated underground. Here we were reminded of actual families who perished during that horrific period. They have researched as much detail as they could find to keep their memory alive.

Timed tickets for Sir Norman Fosters Reichstag/Bundestag restoration meant that we did not have to queue for entry with the masses. Foster retained the graffiti drawn by Russian soldiers in 1945 as a poignant reminder of those days. The magnificent glass dome contains walkways up and down, from which the public can see the debating chamber below. The view from the top takes in the panorama of Berlin old and new. The scene is dotted with tower cranes, where new construction is taking place on a grand scale. We toured most of the building with a helpful guide provided by the Bundestag. It was interesting to see how close the public galleries were to the debating chamber.

Finally that day, we walked into the square between the Opera House and the library of Humboldt University, Bebelplatz. This should have been a place always associated with Deutsche Kultur, but here was the site where the Nazis “burnt the Books”. Not only Jewish books were burned but also those considered to have been influenced by Jewish thoughts and ideas. Madness. The memorial to this event is a glass window let into the centre of the cobblestones. It contains pale white empty bookcases on all four sides.

The theme for our final day was “Jews confronting German Memories”. The Wansee Villa is where “The Final Solution” for the destruction of European Jewry was finalised. Among the papers was a list of European Jewry country by country totalling 11 million. It sent a shiver down ones spine to read “Grossbrittanien 330,000”. We discussed the questions of human behaviour, good and evil, our attitudes to modern Germany.

Grunevald Station/Gleis 17 Memorial followed. Everybody present was visibly moved standing on the platform, some distance away from the main station. Here, so many had boarded the railcars bound for Sachsenhausen, Bergen Belsen, Theresienstadt, and Auschwitz. The Nazis even found a few remaining Jews to move out in early 1945, when the war was almost over. The train numbers, dates, destination and numbers of Jews transported are cast in rusting iron on the edge of the platform.

Finally in the town hall square of Steglitz, in the middle of a bustling flea market we came to the Spiegelwand (Mirror Wall). This is a memorial in the form of a mirrored wall. You look at the lists of names but at the same time see yourselves.

We spent a little time reflecting on the past and looking to the future.

Ros and I certainly intend to participate in other tours organised by Reform Judaism.

Melvyn Goodman
Finchley 14th December 2006

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