The Society for Classical Reform Judaism

A JEWISH JOURNEY TO GERMANY
Reform Judaism’s Bicentennial commemorated with historic tour

The newly restored Oranienburgerstrasse Synagogue, Berlin

On the morning of July 17, 1810, an unprecedented historic drama unfolded in the small Westphalian town of Seesen, Germany. A decade earlier, the world’s first modern Jewish preparatory school had been established by the Hebrew educator Israel Jacobson. Jacobson was one of pioneers of a new, contemporary, liberal expression of Jewish belief and practice that had emerged in response to the emancipation of the Jews of Europe, and their entry into the broader society as newly enfranchised citizens. This development would become the world-wide movement of Reform Judaism - which would transform Jewish life and emerge as the dominant religious force in the American Jewish community in the 19th and 20th centuries.

On that hot summer morning, it seemed like centuries of persecution and discrimination melted away, as government, civic and religious leaders – including the kingdom’s major Protestant and Catholic clergy - gathered in a remarkable demonstration of interfaith fellowship to dedicate the new synagogue of the Jacobson School. The beautiful edifice was dubbed a “Temple” – possibly the first use of this term for a Jewish House of Worship since the Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in the First Century. This was a profound statement of affirmation that modern Jews no longer considered themselves in exile, and that the renewed worship and faith embraced by the Reformers were considered as sacred as those offered in the ancient Biblical sanctuary.

The subsequent history of the Jews of Germany proved that the hope and promise of that golden moment in Seesen in 1810 were not to be fulfilled. Hundreds of thousands of German Jews left their homeland in the 19th century in search of freedom and equality, carrying with them the ideals of liberal Judaism which would flourish in the free, open, pluralistic society of the United States. Despite the tragedy that unfolded a century later in the Holocaust, Reform Jews throughout the world continued to revere the idealistic beginnings of the movement in Germany, and its rich intellectual, liturgical and musical traditions.

On July 18, 2010, the exact 200th Anniversary of the dedication of that first Reform Temple in modern times was commemorated by a group of 50 American Reform and British Progressive Jews, including prominent rabbis and lay leaders, with a pilgrimage to Seesen, where a special commemorative ceremony was held at the site of the original Jacobson Temple, destroyed by the Nazis in 1938. The pilgrimage, sponsored by the Society for Classical Reform Judaism (USA) in collaboration with the European Union for Progressive Judaism, Liberal Judaism (UK), and the Abraham Geiger College, the newly established liberal rabbinical seminary in Berlin, covered five days of tours and special programs.

This mission was conceived to commemorate this major milestone in the shared heritage of Reform Jews throughout the world. Germany is not only the birthplace of modern liberal Judaism, but also has the fastest growing Jewish population in the world today. The continuing restoration of the great historic synagogues that were the pride of European Jewry before the Holocaust, and the reestablishment of Jewish communities and institutions throughout the country, are dramatic symbols of Jewish survival and renewal. Rabbi Howard A. Berman, Executive Director of the SCRJ observes "The primary purpose of our visit is to both honor our past and to stand in solidarity with our fellow Jews in Germany today."

The trip was based in Berlin with side trips to other cities. While not its primary focus, the itinerary included numerous sites related to the Holocaust. The agenda included tours of Jewish landmarks in Berlin with an emphasis on the heritage of Reform Judaism. Our grouip attended special Commemorative Sabbath Services at the contemporary Progressive Synagogue, Sukkat Shalom, where Rabbi Berman brought greetings from the Society. On Sabbath Morning, the delegation participated in the worship at the historic, newly restored Pestalozzistrasse Synagogue which preserves the great musical liturgy of the German Reform tradition. The SCRJ rabbis in the group each shared in leading parts of the Service.

The tour also included the dramatic highlight of a visit to the only intact Pre-Holocaust synagogue building in the country – the modern 1931 building of “Mother Congregation of Reform Judaism,” the Hamburg Temple. This magnificent Bauhaus style edifice was seized by the Nazis in 1938 and became the broadcast studios of the North German Radio Network, which it still houses today. The deeply emotional memorial ceremony that our group conducted was the first Jewish Service in the former sanctuary since Kristallnacht, the destruction of all the other synagogues of Germany on November 9, 1938.

Further reports and photographs from the tour will be posted on this page in the near future, and an upcoming Reform Bicentennial Commemorative issue of The Reform Advocate will feature reflections by participants

CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE ITINERARY AND DETAILS OF THE TOUR

The Reform Advocate

Volume 2, Number 2: Spring 2010
Autumn 2009

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