#Jewish Community in Germany

[jewsingermany]

Valentina Marcenaro Cancels Dresden’s Gefilte Festival Amid Rising Tensions

In a decision that has drawn attention far beyond the confines of Dresden, Valentina Marcenaro, chairwoman of Jewish Week Dresden, was forced to cancel the highly anticipated Gefilte Festival, a celebration of Jewish culinary culture, scheduled for early November. Marcenaro, 50, reflects on the weight of this decision from her office in the Neustadt district, a part of the city where she has lived since moving to Germany in 1998. The festival, which has become an annual event, celebrates Jewish food and culture. But in the wake of rising anti-Semitism and heightened fears following recent events, Marcenaro and many others felt they could not move forward with the celebration.

The Gefilte Festival, known for its focus on Jewish culinary traditions such as gefilte fish, kugel, and challah, was a chance for people in Dresden—home to around 700 Jews—to learn more about Jewish food, culture, and history. But this year, Marcenaro says, some participants were afraid to publicly identify as Jewish. "You shouldn’t try to argue against fear," she says, acknowledging the sense of insecurity that now pervades the community. The fear of anti-Semitic backlash, which has been escalating in many parts of Europe, particularly since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October, made it impossible for many to participate openly.

Marcenaro is not a particularly religious person, describing herself as a German-Italian or an Italian Jew. Her connection to Judaism is more cultural than spiritual, and she finds strength in sharing Jewish traditions, especially through food. For her, Jewish cuisine is not just a celebration of taste—it is a bridge to understanding and connection. The idea that food can break down cultural barriers has been at the heart of Marcenaro’s mission in Dresden. She believes that teaching others how to cook Jewish food is the best "recipe against anti-Semitism." By offering a taste of Jewish culture, she hopes to create understanding and empathy, bringing people together for shared meals that transcend stereotypes.

The city of Dresden, located in the eastern part of Germany, has a relatively small Jewish community. Most of its Jewish residents came from Russia and Ukraine, particularly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The Jewish population here is a far cry from the 30,000 Jews living in West Germany at the time. Marcenaro notes that, compared to their counterparts in the west, Germans in the east have historically been less exposed to Jewish culture. Anti-Semitism, she argues, is deeply ingrained in the country's history, from the horrors of the Nazi era to the attitudes fostered by the communist regime in East Germany. For many Germans, she believes, Jews represent a canvas for their own guilt rather than a community with its own identity and culture.

In previous years, the Gefilte Festival had been a success, with people from all walks of life coming together to learn about and sample Jewish dishes. But in the current climate, Marcenaro says, it’s become increasingly difficult to keep the event going. The rise of anti-Semitism, particularly in response to the Israel-Palestine conflict, has made her question whether the festival is even possible this year. The festival's cancellation, while disappointing, reflects a broader shift in how Jewish communities in Europe are navigating their public presence.

The reality of how food has become politically charged was highlighted in Marcenaro's reflection on the so-called "hummus wars" in the United States. What started as an argument over the ownership of a beloved dish has transformed into a debate about cultural appropriation and identity. Lebanese activists have accused Israel of "stealing" the national dish, while some critics argue that Israeli chefs are contributing to the erasure of Palestinian food culture by claiming Arab dishes as their own. In many ways, these debates mirror the tensions Marcenaro faces. To her, however, the notion of cultural appropriation is misguided. "It’s nonsense," she says, pointing to the long history of Jewish cuisine, which has been shaped by the many countries Jews have lived in over the centuries. From borscht in Eastern Europe to Sicilian Caponata, Jewish food is a melting pot of influences. In Israel, foods like falafel and hummus are deeply embedded in the culture, and for Marcenaro, this is a reflection of the diversity within Jewish communities worldwide.

Despite the challenges, Marcenaro remains hopeful. On her desk sits a porcelain pomegranate, a gift from Israel. The pomegranate is a traditional symbol in Jewish culture, especially during the festival of Rosh Hashanah, representing fertility, abundance, and new beginnings. For Marcenaro, this symbol embodies her belief that even in the face of adversity, new opportunities for growth and understanding are always possible. She refuses to lose faith that dialogue and shared cultural experiences—whether through food or other forms—can eventually overcome the divisions that have plagued society for centuries.

While the cancellation of the Gefilte Festival is a significant setback, Marcenaro is not deterred. She remains committed to her mission of fostering understanding and breaking down barriers through cultural exchange. For her, the kitchen remains a place of unity, a space where people of all backgrounds can come together and learn about the richness of Jewish life and traditions. Even in the face of rising fear and hatred, Marcenaro’s belief in the power of shared meals and cultural understanding endures. It is, after all, the best recipe against anti-Semitism.

[gryficowa]

I love how Germans justify supporting Israel because "Our ancestors killed Jews, so Jews can kill Palestinians" (This applies to Jews with Zionist views, that's the context, but it wouldn't be possible to write it down otherwise to make sense)

Let me remind you, Germans, who else you killed: Roma (Called Gypsies, but it is an offensive term), Poles (Yes, Zionists, they were murdered, so you are disgusting by lying that they cooperated with the Nazis, especially since Zionism has a history of cooperation with the Nazis and earlier than the Third Reich attacked Poland), trans people, homosexuals and people with disabilities (Including MENTAL DISEASES)

From what I heard, there is a resurgence of fascism in Germany and for years they have been targeting the groups I mentioned (Okay, apart from Poles… Although it happens there, because I have heard about these cases, but compared to the rest it is… Meh, but to survive)

So congratulations, Nazism has been reborn in your DNA and you justify genocide by the fact that the people who commit it are the ones you murdered (You also murdered Jehovah's Witnesses, so suddenly this sect is ok?)

You pretend that you know your history and are trying to avoid the crimes committed by your ancestors that you don't see any fucking irony in it

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

TROOPS OF DOOM WILL SPREAD JUDEO-BOLSHEVISM -- PIECE BY PIECE BY PIECE.

PIC INFO: Spotlight on a postcard first published in 1939 titled "Bolschewismus ohne Maske" ("Bolshevism Unmasked"), with an illustration of a Communist soldier attempting to rule the world with a hammer and sickle against the backdrop of a yellow star of David, implying the Nazi opinion that Jews were behind the Communist phenomenon.

FULL OVERVIEW: "Not everyone who had read "Mein Kampf" took seriously the rabid outpouring of filth and hatred it contained. But in his own words, Hitler described how his eyes had been opened at an early age to the "two menaces" which threatened the existence of the German people: Communists and Jews.

These two objects of his hatred would become, after his seizure of power, subjected unrelentingly to vicious propaganda and heinous persecution. That Marxism, or Bolshevism, was to Hitler a "doctrine of destruction" which itself must be destroyed for the survival of all Germans may be seen plainly in the picture on this official postcard from the Great Anti-Bolshevist Exhibit organized by Goebbels' Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.

"Bolshevism unmasked," reads the inscription over a world engulfed in red flame and branded with a hammer-and-sickle in the center of a yellow Jewish Star, recalling Hitler's rant in "Mein Kampf" that "in Russian Bolshevism we must see the attempt undertaken by the Jews in the twentieth century to achieve world domination!" A ghostly image of Death as an armed revolutionary clutches in both hands its weapons of destruction. The exhibition was held in Vienna in 1939. Six years earlier Communists had been among the first of those countless victims rounded up for the concentration camps."

-- UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

Source: https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AFEMLOIYBU6FPX9A.

[rustchild]

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[blog-of-atlas]

I feel like if we removed all the Jewish people from Germany we’d lose a hell of a lot mathematicians, physicists, scientists, doctors and computer experts.

[jewsingermany]

For Stefanie Szczupak, Who is Intent on Rebuilding a Synagogue in Hamburg, a World Has Collapsed

Stefanie Szczupak, a passionate advocate for the restoration of the Bornplatz Synagogue in Hamburg, finds herself grappling with a harsh new reality. For years, she has been dedicated to preserving Jewish heritage, ensuring that history is remembered, and fostering dialogue to combat anti-Semitism. But since October 7, the world she knew has shattered in ways she never anticipated.

Szczupak is not only a key figure on the board of trustees for the Bornplatz Synagogue but also has deep personal ties to the Jewish community, having previously run the Jewish school in Hamburg. Her commitment to rebuilding the synagogue is driven by her belief that it represents a powerful "statement against anti-Semitism" and a reaffirmation of Jewish life. The construction site, however, now serves as a symbol of the painful history that it once held — a history marked by destruction, trauma, and loss.

Archaeologists working at the site have uncovered remnants of the horrors that befell the Bornplatz Synagogue during the November 1938 pogrom, known as Kristallnacht. As they dig, they discover broken windowpanes, charred objects, and other traces of the fire that destroyed the original structure. The excavation is closely guarded by armed security, with the nearby school also under protection. "Unfortunately, there is no other way," Szczupak says, emphasizing the need for security in these uncertain times.

While the reconstruction project remains a beacon of hope for the Jewish community, Szczupak's emotional world has been rocked by recent events. The wave of terror unleashed by Hamas on October 7 and the subsequent global outcry have forced her to confront difficult truths. Her once unwavering belief in Israel as a sanctuary for Jews has crumbled. "If worse comes to worst, there is a country where there are a lot of other Jews and where my family and I can live in safety," she reflects. But following the recent violence, Szczupak feels as though that safety net is no longer reliable.

The sense of security she once found in the solidarity of her fellow Germans has also evaporated. As the anniversary of the 1938 pogrom approaches, the mantra of "Never Again" — a phrase that for decades has been a reminder of the atrocities of the Holocaust — now seems to ring hollow. Instead of unity and condemnation of violence, Szczupak has heard troubling voices echoing support for the Hamas attacks or remaining silent altogether. "Now, though, instead of 'Never Again,' voices are saying 'Yes, But,'" she laments.

This betrayal has caused Szczupak to question the impact of her previous efforts to build understanding between communities. She recalls her past belief that engaging in dialogue would help others recognize Jews as "people too." But now, she wonders whether these initiatives have done anything to change perceptions. The horrifying celebration of violence and the casual justifications of murder that have surfaced in some corners of society have shaken her to her core.

Szczupak's upbringing as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor profoundly shaped her view of the world. Her father survived the Warsaw Ghetto and Auschwitz, but the memories of those years are something Szczupak has carried with her throughout her life. She still has the pants her father wore when he managed to escape from a death march. Growing up, she listened to the stories of Holocaust survivors in her home — tales that painted a picture of unimaginable cruelty, yet left her struggling to fully comprehend the depths of suffering.

Now, after witnessing the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, Szczupak feels she has gained a deeper understanding of what happened during the Holocaust. The images of violence, combined with the celebratory reactions and justifications of murder in some places, have forced her to confront the reality of how hatred can spread unchecked. "You don’t just see the deeds themselves, but also those who celebrate or justify them," she says. This experience, she notes, allows her to glimpse the feeling of helplessness and isolation her father must have felt when the world turned a blind eye to the suffering of the Jewish people.

For Szczupak, this profound sense of betrayal and disillusionment has made her more determined than ever to continue her work. As the Bornplatz Synagogue slowly rises from the ashes of history, it will stand as both a testament to the resilience of the Jewish community and a reminder that the fight against hatred is far from over. Despite the pain she feels, Szczupak remains committed to ensuring that Jewish life, culture, and history are not erased but honored — now more than ever.

[menandwomanofhistory]

Adolf Hitler

[munaeem]

Have the Greens sided with the Jews in Germany? What will they gain in politics?

The Greens and Their Stance on Jewish Issues in Germany In recent years, the Greens, a political party with a strong presence in Germany, have been vocal about their support for the Jewish community. Their stance on Jewish issues has sparked curiosity among many, who wonder why they have taken such a position and what they aim to gain politically. The Greens’ alliance with the Jewish community…

[pwrn51]

What was the connection to Ukraine

  Omer Bartov is the Samuel Pisar Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies in the Department of History at Brown University in  Rhode Island, a Historian, Speaker, Writer, and Author of several books. Dr.Omer Bartov discusses his new book, “The Butterfly and The Axe”. Omer Bartov discusses the book cover, the significance of the title, his writing process, and why he wrote the book which is…

[heritageposts]

Germany's leading Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the opposition Christian Democratic Party (CDU) have ordered high schools in Berlin's borough of Neukolln to distribute brochures titled The Myth of Israel #1948. [...] Neukolln is one of Berlin's most diverse and international boroughs with a large Palestinian community. [...] The brochure states there are five "myths" around the creation of the state of Israel, which are subsequently refuted in short essays by various authors. In the first section, debunking myth #1, that Jews and Arabs lived together in peace before Israel was founded, Israel's pre-state militia, the Haganah, responsible for the destruction of 531 Palestinian villages and the expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians between December 1947 and the summer of 1948, is promoted as a merely "defensive" Jewish resistance movement. Under 'Myth #2: Israel was established on stolen Palestinian land', Masiyot states that the acquisition of land by Jewish immigrants to Palestine took the form of a legal exchange of capital for an official title deed. At no point in history was land illegally conquered by Jewish immigrants, the author of the text, Michael Spaney, claims. Even land conquered following the wars of 1948 and 1967 and the subsequent construction of settlements, which are internationally recognised as a violation of international law, did not occur unlawfully, it says. "Anyone who uses the accusation of land theft as an argument demonises Israel and denies its legitimacy, i.e. acts out of antisemitic motives," Spaney wrote. "Myth #5: Israel is to blame for the Nakba", includes a text by researcher Shany Mor titled "the UN is distorting the meaning of the Nakba: its view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is extremely one-sided". In the text, Mor states that "displacement during war - then and now - was nothing unusual". He also labels the UN's attention to the Palestinian cause "obsessive" and the Arab defeat of 1948 a myth.

. . . full article on MME (23 Feb 2024)

[soon-palestine]

German police, Zionists and politicians have surrounded a Berlin community centre where pro-Palestine organizers are holding a press conference about the Palestine Congress that is due to begin today.

For weeks, the German media and politicians have been trying to ban the congress.

Organizers homes have been raided, speakers have been threatened with visa bans and the bank account of Jewish organization and co-organizers, Jewish Voice has been shut down.

The slogan of the congress is "We Accuse", and its aim is to highlight Germany's complicity in Israel's genocide in Gaza.

It's speakers include Greek politician Yanis Varoufakis, Irish MP Richard Boyd Barrett and founder of the Palestine Land Society, Dr.Salman Abu Sitta.

[historicity-was-already-taken]

I’ve been seeing a lot of what I’m going to term “Judenrat Behavior” from American Jewish organizations and individuals over the last week and a half; I am speaking, of course, as a member of the American Jewish community.

The Judenrat were councils of highly respected Jewish individuals the Nazis set up as governing parties in the Jewish ghettos of Poland, Lithuania, and the Western USSR.

They were expected to carry out any and all German orders regarding the Jews, while they simultaneously sought to protect their communities from those orders as much as possible.

Comprised of highly educated, respected men, when the kashariyot (the female functionaries I refer to in my book title as “the girl bandits”) started showing up with evidence of mass murders of Jews in the territories Germany occupied in the summer of 1941, the Judenrat were not having it.

When the male leaders of the organized Jewish youth argued that the evidence needed to be taken seriously, the Judenrat were still not having it. They refused to believe that “this” could happen right in the “middle of Europe,” in the middle of the "civilized world."

Therefore, went the Judenrat's thinking, these young women and men were nothing more than dangerous, hysterical provocateurs. The evidence was right in front of them, and the Jewish Councils refused to accept the reality of the fact that the Germans were carefully, deliberately, and methodically massacring the Jews of Eastern Europe.

We often conflate the Jewish Councils with the Jewish camp guards and ghetto police. I don’t think that’s fair; with the exception of Chaim Rumkowski, the Councils were comprised of individuals who simply couldn’t conceive of This happening in the world they thought they understood.

They weren’t the collaborators the ghettos saw them as. They weren’t putting their parents in deportation trains. They weren’t informing on other Jews. They were just people incapable of, and ultimately, unwilling to see what they were living through for what it was.

Today, we all have the benefit of these histories to learn from. Denying what we see, what we hear, what government officials say won’t get us anywhere, besides maybe dead.

Right now they’re coming for the Latin American and trans communities. And we can’t just all sit back and reenact Martin Niemöller's "First they came for..." We just can't.

[brandyschillace]

The Forgotten History of the World’s First Transgender Clinic

I finished the first round of edits on my nonfiction history of trans rights today. It will publish with Norton in 2025, but I decided, because I feel so much of my community is here, to provide a bit of the introduction.

[begin sample]

The Institute for Sexual Sciences had offered safe haven to homosexuals and those we today consider transgender for nearly two decades. It had been built on scientific and humanitarian principles established at the end of the 19th century and which blossomed into the sexology of the early 20th. Founded by Magnus Hirschfeld, a Jewish homosexual, the Institute supported tolerance, feminism, diversity, and science. As a result, it became a chief target for Nazi destruction: “It is our pride,” they declared, to strike a blow against the Institute. As for Magnus Hirschfeld, Hitler would label him the “most dangerous Jew in Germany.”6 It was his face Hitler put on his antisemitic propaganda; his likeness that became a target; his bust committed to the flames on the Opernplatz. You have seen the images. You have watched the towering inferno that roared into the night. The burning of Hirschfeld’s library has been immortalized on film reels and in photographs, representative of the Nazi imperative, symbolic of all they would destroy. Yet few remember what they were burning—or why.

Magnus Hirschfeld had built his Institute on powerful ideas, yet in their infancy: that sex and gender characteristics existed upon a vast spectrum, that people could be born this way, and that, as with any other diversity of nature, these identities should be accepted. He would call them Intermediaries.

Intermediaries carried no stigma and no shame; these sexual and Gender nonconformists had a right to live, a right to thrive. They also had a right to joy. Science would lead the way, but this history unfolds as an interwar thriller—patients and physicians risking their lives to be seen and heard even as Hitler began his rise to power. Many weren’t famous; their lives haven’t been celebrated in fiction or film. Born into a late-nineteenth-century world steeped in the “deep anxieties of men about the shifting work, social roles, and power of men over women,” they came into her own just as sexual science entered the crosshairs of prejudice and hate. The Institute’s own community faced abuse, blackmail, and political machinations; they responded with secret publishing campaigns, leaflet drops, pro-homosexual propaganda, and alignments with rebel factions of Berlin’s literati. They also developed groundbreaking gender affirmation surgeries and the first hormone cocktail for supportive gender therapy.

Nothing like the Institute for Sexual Sciences had ever existed before it opened its doors—and despite a hundred years of progress, there has been nothing like it since. Retrieving this tale has been an exercise in pursuing history at its edges and fringes, in ephemera and letters, in medal texts, in translations. Understanding why it became such a target for hatred tells us everything about our present moment, about a world that has not made peace with difference, that still refuses the light of scientific evidence most especially as it concerns sexual and reproductive rights.

[end sample]

I wanted to add a note here: so many people have come together to make this possible. Like Ralf Dose of the Magnus-Hirschfeld-Gesellschaft (Magnus Hirschfeld Archive), Berlin, and Erin Reed, American journalist and transgender rights activist—Katie Sutton, Heike Bauer. I am also deeply indebted to historian, filmmaker and formative theorist Susan Stryker for her feedback, scholarship, and encouragement all along the way. And Laura Helmuth, editor of Scientific American, whose enthusiasm for a short article helped bring the book into being. So many LGBTQ+ historians, archivists, librarians, and activists made the work possible, that its publication testifies to the power of the queer community and its dedication to preserving and celebrating history. But I ALSO want to mention you, folks here on tumblr who have watched and encouraged and supported over the 18 months it took to write it (among other books and projects). @neil-gaiman has been especially wonderful, and @always-coffee too: thank you.

The support of this community has been important as I’ve faced backlash in other quarters. Thank you, all.

NOTE: they are attempting to rebuild the lost library, and you can help: https://magnus-hirschfeld.de/archivzentrum/archive-center/