The Last Supper

At Schneeweiss in Friedrichshain, saying goodbye to Berlin (and our German friends)...

at Schloss Charlottenburg

After a fascinating day of three excellent intellectual encounters (with Prof. Dr. Peter von der Osten-Sacken, then at the Foreign Ministry, then with Dr. Atina Grossman) we headed waaayyy west for a concert of baroque music (with musicians and singers dressed up in (18th century) period costumes).

I think we're all in a bit of shock knowing tomorrow is our last full day here.

The Hamburg-lers

Here's the group (minus the Leahs, though a tiny bit of one can be seen third from the right) with our guide Georg (who sounded much like Cary Grant) as we made our way through the port of Hamburg. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, which half the folks used to take a Schifffahrt (boat ride) through the harbor. The city's reconstruction plan is ambitious (to say the least) but also a wonder in urban development.

Hamburg's broken mural

On our tour of "Jewish" Hamburg, where it became clear that the city is less interested in preserving remnants of its past than in constructing a beautiful new (and extremely well-planned city), we were struck by the erasure of buildings or sites that marked the long, vibrant life of Hamburg's Jews. At the corner of the old Jewish section of the city, however, we happened upon a magnificent mural:


The broken fragments are populated by sites and people and signs of the real life that Jews in Hamburg lived (especially in the post-Emancipation period). The large section on the bottom is filled with a poem by Nobel Laureate Nelly Sachs.



A recent article in The Jewish Exponent does our experience some justice.

At the Jewish Museum

We had an unbelievable guide who raised the bar way up and above all others. Along with the commemorative Mendelssohn pennies, and interactive exhibit, came a frank discussion about whether this museum's collection is -about- Jews or about non-Jews who want to know about Jews in Germany.

AGK, HUC and Beit Or

Shavuot began with the warm welcome of Rabbi Gesa Ederberg (our "frisch gebackene Rabbinern"--newly ordained rabbis--Adam and Jill lit the candles) and a fantastic study session led by Jerusalem faculty member Rabbi Dr. Dahlia Marx. Break out groups were led simultaneously in German and English and some people managed to greet Shacharit at 4am Berlin time!

Our group visited the Jewish Museum on Shavuot afternoon--a fascinating building that houses an eclectic and highly interactive collection. Our tour guide was the fabulous Thorsten Wagner whose historical knowledge challenged all of us to remember our three long days in the classroom.

And we capped the day with a truly blessed evening with colleagues from the Abraham Geiger College, Germany's own liberal rabbinical program (which counts students who come from over 15 countries). Shabbat ended with a dinner shared with the students we met last week from Humboldt University. It's been a great holiday weekend.

Tomorrow: Hamburg or Bust!

Hag Shavuot Sameach and Shabbat Shalom!

We'll be celebrating with the Beit Or community tonight (think of us at 4am, Berlin time, when those who manage to stay awake will be davening Schacharit) and meeting our Abraham Geiger College colleagues tomorrow for Shabbat. More pics and posts after Havdalah!

Back to Berlin

After a truly hilarious walking tour through Weimar, we train'd back up to Berlin in time to meet with a group of theology students at the Humboldt University. Their needs met ours: as students in a class on inter-religious dialogue, HUCnikim engaged an incredibly thoughtful, open and honest colleagues.

With just a little bit of time left over before getting ready for our tikkun leil Shavuot, our group dispersed to all corners of the city. The weather has been crazy (Emma says it's as if Berlin cycle through all four seasons every four hours) but the drama fits the city well.

On our way back "home"

Great minds think alike

Looks like we're not the only ones who are interested in Weimar.

reaching back in space and time

adding to the intensity of the day was an evening in Erfurt where we were treated to a medieval themed dinner at Lutherkellar (Luther's Cellar).

Buchenwald Memorial

An early morning start had us arriving just outside of Weimar (in south eastern Germany) at the site of the former concentration camp Buchenwald around noon. The clock is stopped at the time American troops arrived to liberate the camp on April 4, 1945.

We gathered to mourn all the victims in front of Bunk 22, where the powerful memorial is flanked by a citation from Psalm 78:6: "So that the generation to come might know, the children, yet to be born, that they too may rise and declare to their children."

Crossroads of East and West

Reconstructed stoplight--the first in Europe--at Potsdamer Platz. As our guide said, people fought against the intrusion of technology with the claim, "we will never allow machines to rule our lives."

day tripping

From yesterday's long day of touring: an even longer respite at the Sony Center for lunch and a rainstorm.

HaYom Yom Huledet, HaYom Yom Huledet...

...to celebrate Sarah's birthday!