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Reiner Bernstein (born February 13, 1939 in Merseburg ) is a German historian and publicist.

Life

Bernstein studied history and political science as well as journalism at the Free University in Berlin . His doctoral thesis dealt with the " Central Association of German Citizens of Jewish Faith ". From 1969 to 1970 he was editor at Saarländischer Rundfunk and from 1971 to 1977 head of the federal office of the German-Israeli Society in Bonn. In 1977 he resigned as General Secretary there because of differences over the legitimacy of criticizing Israel and founded the “German-Israeli Working Group for Peace in the Middle East” with others.

Bernstein was from 1981 to 1986 head of the office of the "Evangelical State Working Group for Adult Education in North Rhine-Westphalia" and from 1986 until his retirement in 2002, head of studies at the Cologne "Melanchthon Academy". In addition, he published numerous books and essays, the main topics of which were Judaism and the Middle East conflict .

From 2007 to 2011, Bernstein was chairman of the “Initiative Stolpersteine für München eV”. In recent years he and his wife Judith represented the Israeli-Palestinian “ Geneva Initiative ” in Germany. He has meanwhile turned away from the two-state solution represented by them to solve the Middle East conflict and favors the one-state solution .

In 2020, Bernstein was defended against accusations of anti-Semitism by 60 intellectuals in an open letter to Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel . He expresses legitimate criticism of the Israeli government policy, but was accused by Arye Sharuz Shalicar of being an anti-Semite.

Bernstein has two grown children and has lived in Munich with his wife Judith since he retired.

Award

  • 2018: "Upright gait" of the Munich Regional Association of the Humanist Union (together with Judith Bernstein)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Entry in the association register of the Stolpersteine ​​für München eV initiative at the Munich District Court, sheet VR 201339
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Roland Kaufhold : Dr. Reiner Bernstein will be 70 years old , Hagalil on February 1, 2009, last viewed on August 2, 2020
  3. ↑ Alexandra Föderl-Schmid : Territorially no longer divisible , Süddeutsche Zeitung of January 24, 2018, accessed on September 28, 2018
  4. ^ Süddeutsche Zeitung: Israel: Open letter to Angela Merkel. July 28, 2020 .;
  5. ↑ Editor: Criticism and Anti-Semitism. Intellectuals protest against the stalling of the Israel debate , Süddeutsche Zeitung, July 28, 2020, p. 9
  6. ↑ Short biography on Reiner Bernstein's website, accessed on February 18, 2010
  7. ^ Upright cactus , Süddeutsche Zeitung, July 5, 2020

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Bernstein, Reiner
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German historian and publicist
DATE OF BIRTH February 13, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH Merseburg