Judaism in Germany

Hagar Figler

Communication Skills in English

Semester 2 (2006) Government

Index

I.

Thesis Statement 3

II. Abstract 3

III. Introduction 3

IV. Judaism in Germany 4

V. Conclusion 9

VI. Bibliography 10

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I. Thesis Statement

Because of the terrible losses suffered by the Jewish people as a result of the Nazi Holocaust,

dialogue with the German people will never be free of the anguish and pain suffered by the

Jews and guilt on the part of the Germans.

II. Abstract

Today, more than 100.000 Jews live in Germany. The Jewish world in Germany, with 83

local communities, is the third largest in Western Europe and the fastest growing in the world

after Israel itself.1 After the horrors of the

Shoah

, this comes close to being a miracle. Jews

have lived in Germany for almost 2.000 years, ever since Roman times, and the Jewish

history and heritage in Germany are amazingly rich and diverse. However, the German-

Jewish relationship will forever be marked by the

Shoah

. The memories will never disappear,

and the Jewish people′s relationship with Germany will for a long time, if not forever be

strongly influenced by the

Shoah

.

III. Introduction

Today 100.000 members live in a Jewish community in Germany, of which more than 70.000

originate from the states of the former Soviet Union, since the liberation in 1945 by

American, British, French and Russian forces. Universities, schools, kindergartens and homes

for the aged are indications of a Jewish community that is not only settling down and

rebuilding, but also discovering its Jewish roots and living an active Jewish life in this

country.

This paper will discuss the possibility and opportunity of an authentic German-Jewish

dialogue and the consideration of the Jewish people which has become one of the strongest

driving forces of postwar Germany′s foreign relations, in both the political and civic sphere.

This has also been one of the most complex goals to achieve, which raises the question of to

what extent should the German past dominate the German-Jewish dialogue and agenda in the

present?2 The possible answer to this question will be exhibited and discussed in this paper

with regard to history and future concerns.

1 http://www.tekla-szymanski.com/germanjewish.html

2 Rolf H. Grossarth: Israel zwischen heute und morgen (Pg. 53)

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