Jewish Cultural Association Berlin

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The Jewish Cultural Association Berlin eV (JKV) has, from 1,989 to 2,009 Jews and people who come from Jewish families with the culture, religion and history of Jews in Germany familiar. He often awakened repressed memories. He provided access and options for action to current events and international networking. The association had a broad impact through social and political engagement.

The general assembly decided to dissolve the association on December 31, 2009. At the end of the JKV, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation sponsored a book project with the working title: “The Jewish Cultural Association Berlin - 20 Years of Newly Found Jewish Identity.” The book was published in October 2009 with the title WIR - Der Jüdische Kulturverein e. V. 1989-2009 .

history

The JKV was founded on January 22, 1990, and was hardly noticed by the Berlin Jewish Community as a kind of rival company until the 2000s. In line with the changed legal situation, the association was registered in East Berlin (still GDR) on May 4, 1990, and on September 27, 1991, after German reunification, at the Charlottenburg District Court. In advance of November 10, 1989, the Jewish Community of Berlin / GDR and the We-for-Us group convened a conference at which the continued existence of the company was to be discussed, and which was the hour of birth after the events of November 9, 1989 the club idea can be described (because up to now there was still hopes for a German two-state solution). The dissolution of the association on December 31, 2009 was decided due to an overload of the board, declining membership numbers and a lack of financial resources.

The JKV had developed from a Jewish group "We for us - Jews for Jews", which had formed in 1986 within the framework of the East Berlin Jewish Community. Here Jews, survivors of Jewish origin, former emigrants, resistance fighters and their adult children, including many scientists and cultural workers, most of whom were neither religious nor belonged to the religious community, met here. A Jewish parent established the affiliation.

Over the years, this Jewish East Berlin cultural niche became a stable Jewish institution with the JKV, which followed the model of an American JCC (Jewish Community Center). The driving force from beginning to end was Irene Runge , she was usually the first chairwoman of the association.

From September 1991 to the 165th and final edition in April 2006, the “Jüdische Korrespondenz” appeared monthly. It reflected the numerous events, as well as information from scholars and rabbis on Jewish holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur , the New Year of the Trees , Passover , Shavuot , Hanukkah , explanations on the mitzvot , halacha , parts of the Bible and festive meals. Historians, survivors of the Shoah , Jewish writers and publicists also commented on current events. For example, the philosopher Jochanan Trilse-Finkelstein ascribed 150 episodes: "Every day a day of remembrance"; From 1992 to 2003 he was a board member of the JKV.

As a secular Jewish organization, the JKV was committed to the preservation of the Jewish heritage, i.e. of religion, culture and Jewish tradition, the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge about Judaism, about the Diaspora and Israel, about Jewish and especially European and German- jewish history. Special care was given to the survivors of the Shoah and their descendants. There were aid campaigns for immigrants, Jewish communities and individuals in the former Soviet Union, Hungary, Romania, and the procurement of medicines for Cuba. Discussions and events with representatives of other ethnic groups living in Berlin were increasingly part of everyday life in the association.

Integration of Jews from the Soviet Union

At the Central Round Table of the GDR on February 12, 1990, in view of the critical situation in the USSR , which was accompanied by anti-Semitic attacks, the JKV asked the Modrow government to allow those Soviet Jews who wished to stay in the GDR. The unanimous decision of the round table, the subsequent commission to the Modrow government and the subsequent consequent implementation of this decision by the de Maizière government enabled the beginning of Jewish immigration to the GDR.

In the meantime, more than 230,000 Jewish people have come to Germany, people with Jewish mothers and / or fathers and their first-degree relatives, also non-Jewish, of all ages and levels of education. Igor Chalmiev reports in the chapter “New Homeland Island Berlin” about the difficulties encountered when the Jews from the Soviet Union arrived in Berlin, about the arduous handling of the German and Jewish authorities and the knowledgeable and warm support from the JKV: “I was completely different then experienced the Jewish cultural association. Everyone was ready to talk and helped me… ”. This option ended on December 31, 2004 and was replaced by a new procedure that effectively ended Jewish immigration.

A range of Russian-language cultural and information events developed with active immigrants. By the end of 1998, the “Jewish Correspondence” was also published in Russian.

engagement

From the beginning, the JKV has publicly and persistently positioned itself against racism and sedition, anti-Semitism and hatred of foreigners, both in events and in statements. This attitude is a lesson from and from the Shoah, the most decisive catastrophe for the Jewish people. This is another reason why the message “Remembering = Living” is on the association's flag. The association was closely connected to organizations of Holocaust survivors and resistance fighters, to which many association members belong. The JKV was present at the first complaint against the Shoah denier David Irving in 1990, the protest against racist terror in Rostock and Hoyerswerda, the outrage over anti-Semitic incendiary devices in Lübeck, the fear of foreigners in Gollwitz and the Berlin football racism, up to and including the request to the media, not to support the arrogance of right-wing populists and the NPD or DVU presence. Anti-Semitic remarks from the leadership of the Russian Communist Party in 1999 prompted appeals to the Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and all parties concerned. Commemorative events to commemorate the “ factory action ” of February 27, 1943, the November pogrom 1938, the liberation from Hitler's fascism on May 8, 1945 and the “Victory Day” on May 9 were firmly integrated into the annual calendar of the JKV the murder of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht in January 1919, the commemoration of Yom Haschoa and participation in the day of remembrance and warning in September.

Since September 11, 2001, meetings with representatives of Berlin-based migrant associations and organizations, as well as mutual visits on Muslim and Jewish holidays, have been anchored in the program. On May 7, 2004, the JKV was a founding member of the umbrella organization Migrationsrat Berlin-Brandenburg eV, which now includes 76 organizations that do political and socio-cultural work related to migrants.

Religious and traditional events such as the celebration of Jewish holidays together from the beginning and the common greeting of the Shabbat that has been practiced for almost 13 years, but since autumn 2003 for reasons of space and strength , were aimed primarily at members of the association, Jewish Berliners and Berlin visitors. The presence of religious personalities such as Rabbi Tsevi Weinman (Jerusalem), Rabbi Herschel Glick (London), Rabbi Heskiel Besser (New York), Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach sel. A. (New York), as well as rabbis and Yeshiwa-Bocherim of the Chabad - Lubavitch Movement, and Jewish functionaries from all over the world, shaped the history of the association not only on festive days.

Discussions and cooperation with representatives of the Berlin Jewish community were a matter of course. The JKV has been close to the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation since it was founded. In the first few years, the Simon Wiesenthal Center Paris and the European Jewish Forum were essential for the development of the association. The JOINT ( Joint Distribution Committee , JDC - full name: American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) sent the first Russian-language teaching materials from Jerusalem, and individuals from the USA and Switzerland donated prayer books and Hagadot. For many years, the “Child Survivors” met at the JKV, who as Jewish children had survived the genocide of the Jews. A more recent activity are the regulars' table meetings of English-speaking Jews - including many young people who are studying or visiting Berlin - at the "Schmoozeday on Tuesday", one Tuesday a month, organized by Jeremy Woodruff.

Almost 4,000 individual public events in 20 years, which primarily conveyed Jewish culture, way of life and education, were a high achievement for a small association. With an average of 25 visitors, more than 100,000 people attended these events. This figure does not include religious gatherings, festivals, consultations, workshops and courses, especially for newcomers.

A typical example of the activities of the JKV are its workshops. Together with the " AWO -egegnungszentrum Kreuzberg" z. B. the working meeting "Intercultural Aging" organized and followed up. As a starting point, Irene Runge noted: “When we came up with this topic, Germany's foreigner-political and cultural-migrant situation appeared to be fairly clear. People lived comfortably with the tried and tested stereotypes of opposing each other and claiming that individual cultures were incompatible. ... “She then outlined the change process at that time and, together with other moderators of the workshop, named a wealth of acute problems and constructive solutions.

The list of names of the speakers and guests ranges from Israel's Minister Josef Burg to Israel's Consule General and Ambassador Shimon Stein to the CDU state chairman and mayor of Berlin-Mitte Joachim Zeller , to writers and artists such as Stefan Heym , Lea Rosh , Irmgard von zur Mühlen and Cilly Peiser, Markus Wolf , Josef Burg (Tschernowitz), Meir Faerber sel. A. (Israel), György Konrád , Eva Siao (Beijing), Heinz Knobloch sel. A., Carola Stern , Rafael Seligmann , Imre Kertész and Christa Wolf , zu Politicians like Günter Gaus , Hans Modrow , Lothar de Maizière , Gregor Gysi , Barbara John , Wolfgang Thierse , Walter Laqueur (USA), Antje Vollmer , Heinz Fromm , the chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma Romani Rose , to scholars from all over the world, including Professors John Stachel and George L. Mosse (USA), Colonel a. D. Efim Brodsky (Moscow), Julius H. Schoeps , the agricultural scientist Theodor Bergmann , the Rabbis Andreas Nachama and Walter Homolka as well as Arnold Paucker (London), on countless discussants and contemporary witnesses from Jewish and non-Jewish survival and resistance. Quite a few have now died. Berlin's governing mayor, Klaus Wowereit, danced at the association's Hanukkah festival in 2003, and senators from his government took part in discussions.

The JKV has always suffered from a lack of financial resources; it has never achieved its own institutional funding from public institutions. For many years, however, the board of directors with Andreas Poetke as treasurer created the conditions for numerous activities. The JKV has done a lot for other people and institutions with funding through membership fees, donations and acquired project funds. At the same time, based on the impulse of the JKV's own improvised projects, institutions were subsequently able to establish themselves, such as a Klezmer music school and a language school for immigrants. Threatened austerity measures in Nazi victim pensions could be averted through the initiative of the JKV.

The association has contributed to social life with a wealth of activities. Politically, he moved a lot by clearly positioning himself on the "hot iron", for example on the social situation of Holocaust survivors, on the entry of Jews from the former Soviet Union, on tolerance towards neo-Nazis and anti-Semitism based on the rule of law, on integration and Migration policy, on the Holocaust memorial of the steles, on the politics of Israel .

Board

A voluntary board of directors, initially called the Speaker Council, headed the JKV. He was elected by the members every two years. The board of directors appointed the first and second chairmen and the treasurer. Most recently, the Executive Board was formed by Irene Runge (1st Chair), Johann Colden (2nd Chair), Andreas Poetke (Treasurer), Ralf Bachmann and Andrée Fischer-Marum acted as assessors.

The volunteer members, especially on the board of directors, were chronically overburdened, and a shortage of younger active members was not overcome given the small number of Jews in Berlin. From the mid-1990s to October 2009, the number of members of the JKV fell from several hundred to 105 people, 82% were over 60 years old. For this reason, a general meeting on October 14th, 2009 decided to change the statutes with the declared aim of dissolving the association in 2010.

literature

  • Ralf Bachmann, Irene Runge (eds.): WIR - Der Jüdische Kulturverein e. V. 1989-2009. Wellhöfer, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-939540-43-4 .
  • JKV (ed.): Workshop “Intercultural Aging. A challenge to the future. 'Wellness' in the neighborhood? The environment as a social network - media images - the difficulty of positive reporting about the elderly. “ Jüdischer Kulturverein, Berlin 2005, OCLC 635217996 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Final end for the Jüdischer Kulturverein Berlin eV (JKV). on: haGalil onLine. December 20, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2011.