Messages from Munich

I’m writing this newsletter from Munich, Germany. Strange place for a Jew to be, I know, but due to an influx of Russian Jewish immigrants, Germany’s Jewish population is on the rise and I’m invited here about once a year to help inspire greater Jewish involvement.

I had a few hours off this morning and the local Rabbi gave me a tour. We saw the historic downtown core, the famous sites, and of course put things in a Jewish perspective.  Dachau is about an hour away, but I didn’t have time this trip to pay my respects. The main Jewish thing I saw was the incredible new community center and synagogue. Massive. Beautiful. Modern. On a very expensive piece of land in the heart of Munich. It includes the school, administrative offices, the shul, the mikvah, etc. The shul itself is shaped like a Tefilin box.

 The question that practical people like me can’t help asking is, “how much did this thing cost?” The answer:  over 70 million Euros, or over 100 million US dollars.

 The next question is, “who paid for it?” And the answer is somewhat surprising. While Jews contributed significantly, the strong majority of the money came from the German government. All over Germany, in fact, various levels of government agencies are kicking in big bucks to build shuls, and even help pay salaries of Jewish community workers.  Are they doing it out of guilt? Maybe that plays a part but Germany-watchers focus on the real reason for their contributions:  Germans want the Holocaust to be eventually seen as a unique – though of course terrible – exception to Germany’s openness to the Jews. In another 100 or 200 years, memory of the Holocaust will fade – it already is fading now. While not denying it, most Germans are eager to put it into perspective: ‘we were good to the Jews before the War, and see how good we are after the War. The Holocaust was one bad period where the Nazis – not us! – did these things.’ 

There is a lot to be said on the subject, but one thing stands out to me at the moment: the Germans are trying hard to define their reputation, rather than have others define it for them. They want to be known and remembered for the ‘good things’ they did and do, rather than for the unpleasant actions of the past.  It is not dissimilar to Richard Nixon and other disgraced politicians eventually ‘getting back on the horse’ and trying to rebuild their legacy. Richard Nixon wanted very much than when historians look back at his life, they think not only of Watergate, but of the years of service he provided before and after Watergate. He succeeded to a certain degree.  I assume the Germans will also eventually succeed.

And what about us?

As a people: Do we want to be defined by the headlines of 2009, namely scandal after scandal, infighting, corruption, riots, assimilation and anti-Semitism?

As individuals: Do we want to be defined by our weaknesses, such as our petty fights with others, our moments of laziness, and our recurring selfishness?

 As Jews and as individuals, we have enormous power to define who we are and what we are about. There will be low points. There will be things we are embarrassed about. But they don’t have to define us. We can make up for our mistakes, and more so, by doing better now.

By reaching higher, we can re-define our legacy. By rising above pettiness, we can re-define who we are. By thinking of others’ needs rather than our own, we can be remembered the way we want to be remembered.

Be well,

Doron

'Keeping Our Families Jewish' is a free e-newsletter written by Doron Kornbluth, author of Raising Kids to LOVE Being Jewish. The newsletter is designed to help Jewish parents, grandparents, educators and activists keep Jewish identity strong. Feel free to share and use these ideas, and forward this email to anyone who might be interested. To join the list, or contact Doron directly, email doronkornbluth@gmail.com or visit www.doronkornbluth.com.