The Cold War, AJC, Holocaust

The Reichstag Sees River

We went on a 3 hour bus tour around Berlin this morning with a very nice (and good-looking) guide. He showed us much more of Berlin than I expected. The streets and cityscape reminded me more of DC than any place I've been to. It's very flat with wide open streets that go straight and curve around with several circles. I kept looking out to see if perhaps one of these days I could go for a nice run without getting killed in this constant traffic. The traffic wasn't too bad. The guide pointed out all the important government buildings including the Reichstag.

We made our first stop at a monument dedicated to... oh, I forgot. There wasn't a sign nearby in English to stick in my visual memory.

Then we visited the Berlin Wall! It was totally different from what I expected. I thought the wall would be really, really high in a way it'd be impossible to escape. It wasn't that high, maybe only 10 feet of stone and tightly wounded barbed wire along the top. There was an outdoor museum for the area called Topography of Terror. The reason why it's outdoor is because nobody got the project moving or completed even though it was started way back in early 1990s after the Wall came down. The reason for the name of "Topography of Terror" was that the buildings around it was essentially the heart of the Reich. This was where Himmler, Heyreich, and their assistants held their jobs. This was where the SS Police used to be. It's a bit chilling to see those former Nazi white buildings still standing by. I can't even imagine what it must be like to work in the exact same rooms as these men.

This is one of the many, many plaques placed on the perimeter of the inner wall around West Berlin. You can actually follow them by foot.

Nearby was "Checkpoint Charlie," the major Allied checkpoint mainly for foreigners and Allied security forces. The significance of this was that it was the official separation of East and West Berlin. We made a pit stop there and I ended up using all of my time there looking for an ATM machine which was literally inside an outside wall... ugh. (For some reason, my mind kept thinking about Israel where there were Change places everywhere for changing cash!).

The tour guide gave us a history lesson of the Soviet rule in East Berlin and East Germany. Essentially, the life was exactly the same as living in the Soviet Union whether you're in Moscow or Volgagrad. Germans couldn't trust anyone as spies just were everywhere. When the Russians and German police finally declassified the files- the Germans were shocked to know that they each had a file on them filled with comments from their families and friends. Lena knew somebody who lost his mother shortly after he read his file and saw negative comments from his mother and just couldn't be there with her when she passed away. I'll mention, from my Russian history class, that honestly, the Russians (as I assume probably same goes for Germans under this rule) did not trust anyone except for their closest and bestest friends, they didn't trust their families.

Afterward, we continued our journey around Berlin. This picture is Bebeplatz- one of the many plazas around Berlin. There is a small ice skating rink on the left. I noticed that the rented ice skates looked far more like rollerblades- only with metal blades along the bottom of the sole.

This site had a dark fact- this was here the book-burning was held during Nazi regime.

When the tour ended, we got going to Dr. Pruin's seminar on Jewish and Christian texts... some theology class. I was so jetlagged that I only half-listened to people explaining Christian holidays and Jewish holidays. I'll mention that these Germans had never spent any time with Jews- they knew one or two acquaintances but never an actual conversation. So they asked us quite a few questions about Judaism, including how culture and religion mixed. We explained that it's far more complicated than that. Growing up in a Christian country, I don't think any of us had any questions about the meanings behind these Christian holidays. I interjected a few times to explain how some of the Jewish holidays were celebrated in Israel because it's just quite fascinating that way like unless you were in Israel, you wouldn't have thought of visiting a kibbutz for Shavuot. One German mentioned (though the professor disagreed and I think many of the Americans would too) that these Christian holidays don't emphasize communal gathering the way Jewish holidays encourage. Of course, I didn't get to explain anything only probably because I'm not Modern Orthodox and didn't study the Torah. Whatever, this was a theology class and these people could explain the Torah better than me. I think at the end, Judaism took over the discussion as we didn't even make it to Christmas and the Germans were far too curious.

Afterward, we had a very, very late lunch with the executive director of AJC, David Harris. He was visiting Germany on travel and just "happened" to be in Berlin at the same time. He brought along some of his fellows who were traveling the world with him. I've met him before and interestingly, the CJU gang (Hilary, me, Sean, Ross) all ended up sitting in front of him. He eventually remembered all of us from spring 2006 when he helped to start the campus society at Colgate. (Grandma, Berlin is seriously filled with vegetarian restaurants if you know where to look!) I was so, so, so jetlagged that my head kept rolling around as I struggle to keep one eye open that Hilary had to tap my arm to wake up. (Embarrassing enough to be doing it in front of David Harris!). I think part of it was that so much of the conversation was on the Holocaust. People kept asking questions in a way that Harris had to talk about the Holocaust and his relationship to it (his parents were survivors). There was one or two questions about German-Jewish relations and in Poland. I decided to turn the tables around as he brought up AJC's role in integrating Jews from other countries into their new homelands. So I asked him about AJC's role (if any) in helping the Soviet emigrates integrate in the German society and the issues behind it (AJC does not currently have any offices beyond Warsaw in which I was kind of disappointing knowing how important the Russian Jews are). He explained that it was a very, very big issue for everyone in dealing with the Russian Jews. First, it was all about giving them basic needs and now it's about identity crisis. Very few Russian Jews lately have been able to consider themselves German Jews but not yet German. He said that it's a bit like us American Jews. Can we call ourselves Americans? What about Jews living in America? All the many versions of sidestepping the self-labeling issue. It was also a matter of helping these Russian Jews learn more about Judaism as the Soviets promoted "cultural genocide" on the Jews so that many of them have no knowledge of Hebrew or the Torah. So anyway, I'll talk much more about this either on Thursday or Friday when we actually meet the Russian Jews (They really are fascinating)

After this long lunch, we had only about an hour or so of free time. So Jenn (Cornell), Miranda (Harvard), and I went over to the kiosks. It was really cool and absolutely refreshing from all the tough discussions. I know that certain people would be in love with all the little things Christmas. It had beautiful crafts and some treats. There was even one stand that had aristocrat costumes! The area was quite lively and each stand was clearly marked the seller's items. Jenn and I grabbed some meat treats- she got bratwurst and I got currywurst. Lena told me later that after all these years of living in Germany, she still has no clue what the sauce on curreywurst is made of as they don't actually sell it on the shelves. So these "wurst" guys made quite good money for this secret recipe. But my friend, Kevin, who spent quite bit of time in Germany, just told me over Skype that it's just a mixture of ketchup and curry powder. It's just that sauce covering slices of wurst in a little dish. Unfortunately, I don't think the quality of meat between the US and Germany is much different at all since we pretty much import them from Germany anyway (especially in NYC). Miranda got this kind of ball dough thingie...)

I'll say that a lot of things here are VERY expensive. I happened to notice on my way to the bathroom after the Harris lunch that the cigarette vending machine sold cigarettes for 15-35 euros a pack. Thank God I don't have that smoking addiction! I mean, seriously, who would pay that much?! Of all the things, even the kiosks (well not that bad), I haven't seen any kind of steals here. So even with all the Chanukkah money, I still haven't quite found anything worthwhile... besides a couple of shots of vodka.

Anyway, for dinner, we had a guest, Dr. Peter von der Osten-Sacken, who talked about "Germans and the Holocaust." I think by this point, everyone just sort of got the point about the German attitudes towards the Holocaust. Or maybe they thought the Germans just weren't answering their pressing/tough questions about the Holocaust. Also at least half of the people are more interesting in German foreign policy.... So anyway, I asked him about different perspectives on the rescue/bystander issue in different countries and how their Holocaust museums/memorials emphasize certain aspects. Being the perpetrator state, I asked how that issue fit in with the collective memory. In short, he said that the fear was so intense after 1938 that no German could come forward to save the Jews. Today, part of the collective memory and insistence was not just to remember the Jews who perished but also the Germans who feared too much and remained silent about the treatment of the Jews. He kept emphasizing the "silence" which reminds me of the Soviet Union under Stalin. Boy, Hitler and Stalin had a lot in common!

Lena asked me what I liked about Germany so far. I'll admit that it's a tough question because it's a bit of an emotional trip for me that it's hard for me to like it right away like I did with Prague and Israel, being Jewish communities. So I mustered with how I was surprised to hear the soft-spoken German language, not the harsh sounding voices in Nazi and war films. Lena said that German had never been spoken harshly like those films and it's quite common in the film industry to play that up. I told her how it's not as gutteral as I thought which was one of the little reasons why I wasn't compelled to learn German when I had the opportunity in my sophomore year. I'll also say that Germans are quite friendly people even if they're incredibly formal that I can't wait to get back in the rumble-tumble of Israeli life! The young people are pretty cool. The restaurants are very, very chic that Manhattan can't even beat 'em.

Each day, East Berlin wakes up a little, showing me a bit more and more of its contemporary life. Not the emotional and physical ruins of the Soviet rule. But it does make me think about how badly I want to go to Russia and live there for a bit to learn the language. Could I put up with this kind of atmosphere? But if the people can really make their city a nice one despite the past, then it's worth giving it a shot.

It's soooooo cold here- no wind or any precipitation here so it's just COLD! The Princeton Tigers didn't bring warmer coats or boots or hats so they had to shop in their free time. Oy. I'm glad I have everything so I don't have to pay all those euros!

Also I'll say that each activity that we did and as I learned more and more about my peers, I realized what an unique position I am in in understanding the Jewish Diaspora and the effects of it in relation to Israel and vice versa from my experience in Israel. (I believe that I was the only one who spent more than 2 months in Israel) I mean I was not sure how many people would know about the Soviet Jews or the reality of Israeli-Palestinian issues or how to "compare" Darfur to Shoah. I felt clammed up for most part because those things are just so emotional that it's hard to share and get these optimistic/idealistic/naive kids to understand the complexities of this Jewish world. Another thing that David Harris said about his journey in understanding the Holocaust was someone told him that "the more you know, the less you understand." Well for the Holocaust, it happened. What happened, happened. But it's quite true for the Jewish Diaspora though I think I'd paraphrase that statement to "the more facts you have, the more difficult it is to analyze the situation." While it's great to have all the facts, how do you put them together neatly?

Empty Spaces, Diplomacy, Movie with Germans

A long day!

First, Dr. Pruin (who, by the way, has the most amazing German accent!) took us on a walking tour of Jewish Berlin beginning with the site of the first synagogue which was razed, by who else? The Nazis. She began her lecture with explaining the complex German identity. Even though Germany is reunified, people from East and West still don't identify themselves as a nation yet. The 40 years under foreign rule divided the lives of the Germans in a way that neither experienced the other's culture and lifestyle. They both learned history and the story of WWII differently. They even developed some distinction in their German language (sort of like how we use soda vs pop). She emphasized that we should consider each person's perspective based on their location before the Wall came down. So in our group, we had 2 people from each side- Dr. Puin and our AJC rep, Lena, from West Germany and the other two, Melissa and Jasper, from East Germany. It reminded me a bit of all the different Jewish identities in Israel and why Israel still doesn't have a constitution because everyone has their own definition of what it means to an Israeli and a Jew.

Why was her lecture entitled "Empty Spaces, Don't Trust the Grass"? It's one of her main interests to recognize all the empty courtyards and spaces in Berlin where Jewish buildings used to occupy and was never built over again after the war as a sign of respect and memorialization to Jews. They occupied about 35% of Berlin before the war and about 17% of the total German population. So those numbers were quite significant.

During our tour, we saw several memorials dedicated to different aspects of Jewish history. The first synagogue had a memorial dedicated to non-Jewish German women who protested the Nazis' house-arrest of their Jewish husbands (because the Nazis didn't believe in mixed marriages). Some people said that 5 women showed up. Others said 40. Some say hundreds. In any way, the memorial was obviously Jewish with the Lion and Menorah symbols.

The second memorial that Dr. Pruin (with Lena's help) pointed out were the copper memorial stones on the sidewalks. Each stone had a person's name, birthdate, and some other personal information. They were all dedicated to the Holocaust victims. High schools in Germany actually are still raising money to have more of these places. There's a suggestion (even I would've done it anyway) that people shouldn't step on them as a way to respect the victims. They're just all over the place.

Third, we walked by another memorial that happened to be next to Berlin's private Jewish high school. Dr. Pruin used the opportunity to tell a bit about the importance of remembering the vibrant Jewish culture, especially Moses Mendelsohnn. When we walked by the high school, Dr. Pruin asked one of the guys who was hanging out with his friends at the front to come down and say a few words about the German youth and the Holocaust. He was actually an Israeli who had been living in Berlin for 5 years. He talked about the backlash among the German youth towards the Holocaust because it's emphasized in literally every subject except for math and science. His words stuck in our heads for the rest of the day because the idea of a backlash against the Holocaust was so foreign to us because we know how important the Holocaust is in the States. By the way, there was an empty space where a Jewish house used to be and along the walls of the houses next to it were plaques of the Jewish families' names who occupied that house before the Holocaust.

We had lunch and met with a very high official at the German Foreign Ministry. She talked about German-Israeli relations which I kind of zoned out because right then it was hurting too much to talk about Israel with the consideration of a possible postponement of the trip in January. But I did pay attention when some people asked questions....very hard questions about the German relations with Israel, especially in relation to the Holocaust and the Palestinian situation. They also wanted to know about the younger generation and how to maintain that "Israel's Best Friend in Europe" status.

Afterward, we had tea with an Israeli representative from some Council to talk about the Israeli perspective on this conversation of German-Israeli relations. We brought up the backlash effect and he said that they're working on to make sure it wouldn't actually happen and to keep Germany involved with Israel for a long time. I asked about perhaps Israel should emphasize the need for the Germans to recognize the good in Germany's history with the Jews (aka the Jewish Enlightenment) and he agreed but still wanted to put forth the importance of the Holocaust.

Later, we had a light buffet dinner with Dr. Pruin's students and watched Walk on Water (for the sixth time for me). It's so funny with that movie- it's so thought-provoking for me that every time I see it, I recognize something new and react differently. Especially with the Israeli characters, especially Eyal, the main character. Though he's quite pessimistic in his view of the world, he still cared about the same thing that's part of the Israeli culture- the lessons he learned in the Army, and the importance of being with the family (when he asked Pia why would she never want to see her family again in front of the Kotel). When the setting switched to Berlin, I definitely picked up the formality that I had already experienced just hours earlier. Wow, it's so stiff! It was also interesting to watch it with the Germans and other Americans who hadn't seen the movie to see what jokes they laughed at and whether I laughed with them or not- or during scenes where I laughed on my own because I understand from the Israeli perspective that it'd be funny to them. Oh, the cafe was right next to where the Berlin Wall used to be and Europe's busiest plaza before the war! Now, it's pretty much dead.

When we had long discussion afterward, it really irked me. First we talked about the Holocaust. The German students said that no one ever talked about the Holocaust after the war not until 1970s and still don't in their households. It's just something that people don't really talk about so they have to hear it through their schools. One of them, a cultural studies major, mentioned how she never learned about the Jewish culture in Germany before the war until she entered the university. They emphasized why they deal with it- to take responsibility and somehow contribute to make up for the loss. Then the discussion switched over to Darfur. Which really, really made me angry. Dr. Pruin had to keep reminding the Americans that Germany is very "reluctant" to compare their Nazi Holocaust with ANYTHING else in the world or in history (aka Cambodia and Armenia/Turkey). I found that I was almost pretty much the only one who shared with the Germans' views.

Basically I found out that the Americans in my group didn't differentiate genocides and appeared to put Darfur at par with Germany. To them, genocide meant all the same- mass killings of a single population. I certainly learned more about why they supported stopping the civil war in Darfur. Then someone brought up multiple use of the word "holocaust." The Germans were quite silent on this issue and refused to talk about it. I wanted to scream at the Americans for how can they compare anything with the Holocaust in Nazi Germany? So 300,000 people are dead so far in Sudan but we're talking 6 or 11 million people who were gassed and fired into pits in less than four years in Europe. The Nazis had a truly systematic plan to eliminate all Jews and other inferiors in the world so that only the Aryans actually ruled the world with some other people working as serfs. I don't care of it's my "duty" or "obligation" as a Jew to support the cause to save Darfur, I just cannot compare or relate like that. I bet that's why Israel's so quiet on the Darfur issue- it never ever came up in the discussions with the Israelis or in the media (only with the Ravids). When I worked at the US Holocaust Museum, I was shocked that they had an exhibition devoted to the issues and a day-long conference for the interns in the area to learn more about the genocide in Sudan. I remembered after a little, I got a little fed up because I just felt that this issue had no place in the USHMM because it should be limited to the Nazi genocide. Then I asked Peter why all this? He calmly explained that the Museum was supported by the US government and obviously, it should be doing things to please to the US government, even it meant going off subject as to show that the US government and the Museum were aware of the situation. I was still seething about it because if I was the Museum director, I would have said no way. If we're going to "recognize" this genocide, then we should also have exhibits on the Armenian genocide and Cambodia too even if they're finished. There's another factor as to why I don't pay much attention is that it's Africa. It's nearly impossible to solve problems there because the foundation of that civilization is primitive and we've been a modern one for quite several centuries and have no roots to that.

My two cents. And it's just something I'll rant if I'm asked about it or that topic gets brought up in a discussion. Remember, Nazis systematically killed the Jews with technology and science in a short amount of time and wiped out a very important Jewish culture in Europe and changed the world forever for the world and the Jews.

Finally, an Israeli (well, born in the US to Israeli parents) asked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Germans had no clue or opinions on it. Again, Dr. Pruin emphasized that the Germans don't see anything beyond the issue of the Holocaust in dealing with the Jews. I asked two Germans what they thought of Pia, a German woman who met an Israeli and moved to a kibbutz in Israel (which is actually realistically impossible because only Jews can get Israeli citizenship). They said that they admire her and said that they would do it if they had to do community service for the government in lieu of military service. Now I can see why she'd be so happy over in Israel without the idea of the Holocaust hanging over her head all the time. I agree, in Israel, there is so much more to think about Jewish history and culture besides the Holocaust. It is not to say that the Germans don't care- it's just all the over-emphasis on the Holocaust.

With all of my understanding thus far, I kept thinking about the "discourse" that Dane and I had last spring that's still on the table. Remember that she mentioned how she wanted to live in Eastern Europe where the Jewish life and modern Jewish history began and see Eastern Europe beyond the Holocaust. That's what the Germans want. But I also can see the complications of trying to overcome that heavy emphasis without "forgetting" the Holocaust. I mean, really, what does Israel really mean in this picture? After today and being in Prague, I am not sure if I'd actually want to live here, even just to learn the German language because of the German youth's attitude towards the Holocaust and what I'm feeling already.

I never realized how sensitive I've become towards all these Israeli issues especially with the terminology. Somehow the word "conflict" in the phrase "Israeli-Arab/Palestinian conflict" doesn't work for me anymore. I mean, the definition is right but but that word just doesn't seem to exist in my vocabulary anymore. I think more in terms of "issues." That's how the Israelis put it. Issues. There are issues to work out. I think that word is better because it's more open-ended and it doesn't suggest that it needs to be resolve whereas when you hear the word "conflict" it's easier to think in tems of war and that needs to be stopped fast and settled right away. The situation is more complicated than that and it will take a long time for anything to come to fruition.

The biggest lesson I learned today was seeing why the Israelis would be so reluctant to deal with these type of hard questions because there is simply no right answer for anything. They're also so personal and conflicted. It doesn't mean that they don't care. It just creates a lot of tension between two people or within a group.

A friend and I noticed that despite what people have told us about Berlin being the hippest city with vibrancy and life, it was actually quite quiet compared to New York or Madrid. Even when we were out at 10ish, the traffic wasn't all that bad. Maybe we're in the wrong area of the city or there really aren't a lot people to occupy the size of Berlin now that the Jews are gone and people wanted to leave East Berlin for West Berlin. Hmmmmm. We'll find out on our bus tour tomorrow then!