| This Isn't Your Grandfather's Germany |
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| Written by Talia Kohen | |||||
| Wednesday, 18 January 2006 | |||||
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Re-Generation and Relating to the Third Reich Aliza Abrams, the Presidential Fellow at Yeshiva University's (YU) Center for the Jewish Future, recalls a conversation with a young man from Germany who asked: I know you wouldn't buy a car from my grandfather, but why not from me? YU, in conjunction with the German Ministry of Education, is sending 19 handpicked male and female undergraduates to Germany from January 12 to 23 to learn hands on about the Jewish experience in Germany, from the Holocaust to present day. Ms. Abrams will co-lead this trip called "Counterpoint Germany/Bridge of Understanding," an offshoot of a program two years ago in which male rabbinical students from YU visited Germany. The goal of the program, according to Ms. Abrams, is to realize YU's vision to "Bring wisdom to life," by providing students with the opportunity to obtain educational opportunities outside the classroom. While many Jewish organizations take advantage of this opportunity provided by the German government, YU is one of the few that is Orthodox. Students will spend Shabbat with communities in Berlin and Munich. This group will also meet with Rabbi Bini Krauss, an Orthodox Rabbi currently residing in Germany, who will address pivotal contemporary German-Jewish issues such as Germany's role in the European Union, and its relationship with Israel. Additionally, the group will meet German Jewish college students, and will see the places where renowned Modern Orthodox scholars Rabbi Soleveichik and Nechama Leibowitz once studied. Finally, students will meet with high profile German officials to discuss the Holocaust, as well as modern day Germany. Student selection is competitive, and involves a formal application and interview process. Participants are chosen with the expectation that they will have what to contribute to various Jewish communities when they return. Some students will speak at Jewish high schools and synagogues about Bridge of Understanding and their impressions of modern day Germany once they return. Students pay $250, while the Ministry subsidizes the rest. The Ministry also takes care of technical details for the trip, such as planning high profile speakers, as well as ensuring that the students eat at kosher restaurants where available, and receive kosher catering otherwise. Ms. Abrams stressed that this mission in no way promotes a "forgive and forget" attitude. But some of these students will be visiting a country that their parents still boycott. Maybe, they’ll even buy a Volkswagen. After all, they’re cheaper over there.
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