Würzburg. Making Jewish life visible in all its diversity and dissolving old prejudices – that is the goal of a broad alliance. With a large number of events in Lower Franconia this year, the Jewish Community of Würzburg, the Catholic and Protestant Church, the Lower Franconia administrative district and the Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg are drawing attention to 1700 years of Jewish life in Germany.
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“The historical occasion is a document dated December 11, 321. In it, the Roman Emperor Constantine passed a law that stipulates that Jews are allowed to hold municipal offices in the city administration of Cologne,” says university pastor Burkhard Hose. He is the Catholic chairman of the association “Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation in Würzburg and Lower Franconia”.
This is proof that a Jewish community already existed in late antiquity on what is now federal territory. This actually local event is the reason for a significantly larger campaign aimed at making Jewish life visible in all its meaning.
“The anti-Semitism that is currently noticeable again in German society is certainly also a background. It is important to address him. We therefore want to make Jewish life visible in all its diversity, ”explains pastor Hose.
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Few people would know Jews. “The image of them is often shaped by anti-Semitic clichés and memories of the Shoah.” That is why the entire campaign for the 1700th anniversary of Jewish life in Germany aims to enable people to get to know each other, taking everyday life and the neighborhood into consideration in order to dissolve old stereotypes and prejudices.
Corona and the associated protective regulations have, according to Hose, mixed up a lot in the planning for Lower Franconia. “We had to postpone a lot of the program to autumn, for example, many of the lectures will only be in digital form.” The nationwide, ecumenically responsible campaign “#or rather – Jewish and Christian: closer than you think” is located on the Internet from the outset. It aims to encourage people to perceive the close ties between Christianity and Judaism. Also and especially when looking at the festivals, the roots of Christianity in Judaism become clear. The key word “or” is intended to mark the festive year “1700 years of Jewish life in Germany” and draw attention to current Jewish practice in all its various forms.
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Lecture series planned
Hose describes the lecture series planned for the winter semester 2021/22 at the University of Würzburg, which comprises a total of twelve lectures, as a regional highlight. Among other things, Professor Dr. Daniel Kroiellnik, Professor of Jewish Religion and Philosophy at the School of Jewish Theology at the University of Potsdam, on “Moses Mendelssohn or the beginning of German Jewry”. Professor Dr. Astrid Lembke, professor for Yiddish literary and cultural studies at the University of Vienna, speaks about Yiddish-German literary relations in the 16th century.
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A series of articles is also planned in the Würzburg Catholic Sunday Gazette, which sheds light on where stereotypes about Jews can still be found today in the interpretation of the Bible. This will be deepened during a study day on which the Catholic theological faculty will look at Judaism from different perspectives, explains Hose.
A compact website with an overview of all offers for the anniversary “1700 years of Jewish life in Germany” for Lower Franconia is currently being developed, according to Hose. There you will also find more information about an “Actionbound”, an interactive paper chase on the subject with the help of a mobile phone app.
“For me, an important result would be that we perceive Jewish life as part of our everyday life today, as people like you and me, and that we do not limit our image to Shoah and anti-Semitism.”
These are certainly very important components of the relationship, says Hose, but if you limit Judaism to that today, you promote anti-Semitism. “It would be best if at the end of the year more people could answer yes to the question whether they know a Jew or a Jew. In my opinion, the first and best point of contact is the Shalom Europa Jewish Community and Cultural Center (www.shalomeuropa.de). “
More information on “1700 years of Jewish life in Germany” is available on the Internet at https://2021jlid.de/ and at https://www.juedisch-beziehweise-christlich.de/. mh/POW
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