21st-Century Jewish Life in Berlin and Krakow
By Larry Bridwell
Jewish culture in Central Europe is in the midst of a
dazzling renaissance stimulated by the fall of communism and the enlargement of
the European Union. Nowhere is that more evident than in Berlin, the heart ofGermany, and Krakow, the capital of medieval Poland.
 In the vibrant center of Berlin, near the historic
buildings of the Nazi Third Reich, is a beautiful golden dome topped by the Star
of David. With exquisite irony, The New Synagogue is a prominent visual beacon
in the city’s skyline and is the anchor of a thriving community of 30,000 Jews
now living in Berlin.
It is amazing to experience the combination of the urban
vitality of a dynamic neighborhood alongside the preservation of its Jewish
history. Under communism, many of the structures in the central Jewish Quarter
in East Berlin became decrepit, but remained standing. Buildings are now being
renovated, and the gentrification of unified Berlin is honoring its Jewish
roots.
 Among the most touching remembrances are historic markers
commemorating the Jewish residents who were taken from their apartments and sent
to their death. They take the artistic form of small golden plaques identifying
each victim and their years of birth and death. These sidewalk remembrances are
called “stumbling stones” with the admonition of “Never Forget” to all who walk
in these streets.
For visitors, Jewish history comes alive on
English-language walking tours. My guide earned a Masters Degree in History with
a dissertation about 19th-century Jewish life. He pointed out that during the
1920’s, Berlin was the second largest city in the world, with only New York
having more residents. After World War II, only 5,000 Jews
remained out of 200,000 who had lived in Berlin, and the population
remained stable until 1990. The fall of the Berlin Wall increased
freedom of movement in the former Soviet empire and attracted Jews of
many nationalities to Berlin’s unusual mixture of capitalism and
communist heritage which offered a comfortable, exciting place to live.
 The first major event on the tour is appropriately the
sculpture by the East German sculptor Ingeborg Hunzinger, "Block der Frauen,"
(Block of Women), in honor of the German wives who demonstrated during World War
II to support their Jewish sons and husbands held by the Nazis. Among the
protesters were soldiers in military uniforms demanding information about their
relatives. This created a public relations nuisance for the Nazi establishment.
To end the troublesome demonstrations, the authorities quietly released the men,
including some who were already on trains to Auschwitz. The guide emphasized
this history, because he said that it shows that ordinary citizens had an impact
and that if more Germans had acted in similar ways, more Jews would have been
saved.
 The tour included visits to an historic Jewish cemetery
that is being restored and to the home of the first woman Rabbi in Germany,
Regina Jonas. A plaque notes that she lost her life in Auschwitz in 1943.
 Although the Holocaust killed or exiled nearly ten million
Jews, 21st-century Berlin now has a vibrant Jewish life well integrated into its
historic center, with kosher restaurants, bakeries, and another female rabbi who
was recently ordained.
A special dimension of Jewish life is Klezmer music, which
is flourishing in the ancient Polish city of Krakow. In 1453, Krakow’s Jewish
district of Kazimierz was established by Polish King Casimir the Great and
flourished until World War II. Today, it has three synagogues and several
restaurants featuring Jewish food and music. Only 300 Jews live in Krakow, but
its culture has received major support from young Poles seeking varying
spiritual experiences in a deeply traditional country.
The son of a Catholic family, Janusz Makuch, started the
annual Festival of Jewish Culture in 1988 and told the New York Times, “It is a
way to pay homage to the people who lived here who contributed so much to Polish
culture.” Konstanty Gebert, editor of a Polish-Jewish monthly, Midrasz, said to
The Times, “This is Poland rediscovering its Jewish soul.”
 You can find the new Jewish life at the intimate Ariel
restaurant, which serves Jewish food and, along with it, the Klezmer music of
the Jascha Lieberman Trio. The Trio plays traditional Jewish melodies as well as
songs from Romania, Serbia, and Macadonia as well as original compositions by
Lieberman, who is Jewish. The group itself is culturally eclectic: the
accordionist is Polish and the bass player, Hungarian. All of them trained at
the Krakow Music Academy. Maciej Negrey, reviewing the trio’s CD, Rememberance
of Kazimierz, noted that Jewish folk music incorporated influences from many
cultures, because its musicians frequently traveled across Central and Eastern
Europe. The audience, which included a tour group from Germany, applauded
enthusiastically.
Part of Jewish history is anti-Semitism, which
unfortunately still exists in modern Europe. It is worth noting the security
precautions in both Berlin and Krakow. The Berlin tour guide mentioned that
after 9/11, Germany wanted to provide effective protection, so police are
present at the major Jewish sites. In Krakow, we did not see any security
personnel, but in the middle of the Kazimierz district was a police station with
police vehicles prominently parked in front. Germany is obviously aware of its
legacy and wants to protect Jewish sites. Krakow did not have police officers
visible, but security was clearly available at a moment’s notice.
If you go to Berlin and Krakow, you can witness history
being made as Central Europe dramatically transforms itself. The fall of the
Berlin Wall brought the end of Soviet-imposed cultural restraints. The European
Union, in its enlargement from six nations in 1957 to 27 countries in 2007,
expanded human freedom. Krakow – which had struggled under Soviet domination --
has become a prosperous city. The new capital of Germany is a thrilling
combination of West and East Berlin. The fruits of this new European spirit
include thriving artistic communities, interacting across a wide range of ethnic
roots. The Jascha Lieberman trio believes that music transcends nationality, and
its repertoire reflects the past and future of the European Union, especially
21st-century Jewish life.
Jewish Life in Berlin (walking tour)
http://www.berlinwalks.com/
Ariel Jewish Restaurant in Krakow
http://www.ariel.ceti.pl/
Photos by Peter McNelly
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