Jewish Life
In Berlin, Germany, and Poland
Jewish life and Jewish communities in Germany and Poland have a more than one thousand years long history and tradition. During these centuries, on one hand, phases of religious and societal tolerance and acceptance occurred and led to periods of great prosperity. On the other hand, times of antisemitism resulted in discriminatory actions and eventually culminated in the Holocaust.
The trips and tours to Jewish life in Berlin, Germany, and Poland try to make Jewish history visible and provide an understanding of contemporary Jewish life. They examine questions of religious tolerance and intolerance, anti-Judaism and antisemitism, and also show the influence of Jewish culture and society on social, cultural, economic, and political life in both Germany and Poland.
Visits include Jewish cemeteries, synagogues, former concentration and death camps, memorials, museums, and educational and cultural institutions. Participants will have the opportunity to talk with members of the Jewish communities and also attend cultural events such as concerts.
Places of past trips and tours in Germany have been Berlin, Worms, Speyer, Weimar, Erfurt, Dresden, and others. In Poland Warsaw and Krakow have been visited.
