“We are a symbol of the spiritual renaissance of Jewish life after the Shoah,” says Rabbi Edward van Voolen about the new European Center for Jewish Scholarship, which will open in Potsdam on August 18.
The accommodation of three rabbinical seminars under one roof and the construction of a new synagogue give the opportunity for constant cooperation. “So we combine science with tradition,” says van Voolen, in order to be able to include current topics such as climate, plurality, business and media ethics from the perspective of Jewish theology in teaching and research. “We will attract a lot of people from all over the world,” believes van Voolen and names upcoming student exchange projects with France and Russia.
The construction of a synagogue in Potsdam, which will be attached to the new center, will make it possible to anchor Jewish life in the city. “We are an open institution,” says van Voolen about the center and its connection: “We are part of the discourse that takes place in Europe on Jewish issues.”
Rabbi Edward von Toolen comes from Utrecht and is the rabbi of the Jewish community in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Göttingen. He is director of the new European Center for Jewish Scholarship and teaches liturgy and homiletics there.
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