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Shabbat Shira
in Stuttgart
By Mark
Gelber
During the
course of my research semester in Germany, I have had the opportunity to
visit several Jewish communities for Shabbat and holidays. There is much
that I could report on them from the perspective of an American-Israeli who
has been visiting Germany for longer and shorter periods of time for more
than 30 years. However, something quite special took place at the Stuttgart
synagogue this Shabbat, which may be of general interest to a variety of
readers in Germany, in Israel, in the U.S., and elsewhere.
First, there was
a "mini-machane" which the Israeli madrichot (counsellors) and local
youth-group leaders of Bnei Akiva organized. Anyone who has had the
opportunity to witness the very dedicated work of Bnot Sherut (Sherut Leumi
girls who spend time assisting Jewish communities thoughout the diaspora) or
Bnei Akiva madrichim realizes what an important contribution these young
people are making to Jewish life throughout the world. In any case, owing to
the mini-machane, there were dozens of children of all ages running around
the synagogue throughout Shabbat. That usually is not the case in German
synagogues. There was a stand-up Kiddush on Friday night after the prayer
service with a lot of nice fruit for Tu B’Shvat. All very good, but
something even more noteworthy took place after the morning services on
Shabbat.
On Saturday,
there was a major kiddush-meal in honor of a marriage, which had taken place
in Berlin in December. On any given Shabbat, there are about 100 people in
the Stuttgart synagogue. Sometimes there are more, sometimes less, and most
people stay on for the Kiddush-meal and socializing afterwards. About 90% or
more of those in attendance are usually immigrants from the former Soviet
Union. This time, for Shabbat Shira, there were about 150-200 people in
attendance, because of the Kiddush, no doubt. This time it was a real event,
the food was very good, and there were lots of fruits, more kinds than the
evening before, for Tu B'Shvat (some I had never seen before!), and divrei
tora, speeches by members of the community board, the Rabbi, etc. It was a
nice atmosphere.
The most
impressive thing, though, was the speech of the chatan (groom). He had grown
up in Stuttgart and the kalah (bride) was a Russian immigrant from Moscow,
now living in Berlin. They met in Berlin at the university or at the Jewish
community when he was a student there. The chatan had been honoured with
maftir during the prayer service, and he read the haftara beautifully.
Anyway, here is a young German Jew, speaking in German, and his wife
translates into Russian (as is the custom in the Jewish communities of
Germany today.) One can sense right away that the Russians in the hall are
absolutely delighted with this marriage, and they are in love with the kalah
from her first word. In any case, the chatan says that the last time he
spoke in the Stuttgart synagogue was 15 years ago at his Bar Mitzvah. He
remembered the major topics of concern in the Jewish Community in Stuttgart
at that time: 1) peace for Israel 2) the struggle to free the Jews from the
Soviet Union. He spoke a bit about the Torah reading for Shabbat Shira,
Parashat Bshalah, and the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, the crossing of the
Sea into freedom, and the jubilation that ensued, relating these events in
the crucible of the formation of the Jewish people, to the exodus of the
Jews from the Soviet Union. He talked about how both times the Jews, in the
Torah and today, were miraculously given an opportunity to begin new lives
as free Jewish people. At this point, after what he said was translated into
Russian, many Russians started clapping in approval. It was quite moving. He
then said that although he could not realize it at the time of his bar
mitzvah, when there were demonstrations for the Soviet Jews in Germany and
other related activities, which the children were involved in, that there
was a personal angle to this story, because he would one to those who
benefited directly from the exodus of the Soviet Jews -- that is, he had the
great fortune to meet his wife among the newcomers from Russia to Germany.
So, his young
wife is translating this into Russian; every few sentences he stops and she
translates. Then, she has to say in Russian how grateful her husband is for
the exodus of the Soviet Jews and their arrival in Germany, because it made
it possible for him to meet her, his own wife. Since it could be
embarrassing for her to say this without a comment, in the middle of the
translation, she switches into fluent German to say how grateful she is also
for it, because it allowed her to meet him. This statement was also greeted
with applause and cheers. Then, the chatan led the birkat hamazon, and the
meal was over.
I found all of
this quite exceptional, and I do not think I need to elaborate, except,
maybe, for two things. First, what happened in the Jewish Community in
Stuttgart on Shabbat Shira, even if it is exceptional, says quite a lot
about what is happening in the Jewish communities in Germany today in terms
of the integration and future of the Jews from the former Soviet Union. This
couple seems well poised to assume leadership roles in the future Jewish
community in Germany. Second, whereas the struggle for Soviet Jewry, which I
remember well and also participated in as an American student activist in
the 1970s, and after I immigrated to Israel, was largely successful, the
struggle for peace in the Middle East has still been a failure. So, we must
have done, and must be doing something, wrong. Perhaps it is true, although
it did not seem that way at the time, that the goal of releasing Soviet
Jewry was an easier one to accomplish than the goal of peace for Israel.
Still, we need to marshall the same strengths that were brought to bear on
the cause of Soviet Jewry, as well as the will to accomplish the goal of
peace for Israel as soon as possible. We should never despair.
Mark H.
Gelber is professor of German and Comparative Literature at Ben-Gurion
University, currently on sabbatical in Germany.
Jüdische Zuwanderer aus der ehemaligen Sowjetunion in Berlin und Deutschland
hagalil.com
29-02-2004 |
