Present-day Jewish life in Berlin

Berlin has a rich Jewish history. A history of ups and downs, prosperity and decline, with the lowest point being the Shoah. Interestingly enough, the German capital is experiencing a growth of the Jewish communities, especially in recent years. Young Israelis in particular are moving to Berlin. What motivates them to come and live in the city where the elimination of Jewish life can be felt all around? And what’s actually meant when we’re talking about contemporary Jewish life? We will discuss these questions with Berlin writer Mirna Funk, social anthropologist Dani Kranz and the director of the Jewish Museum in Berlin, Hetty Berg. Panel host: journalist Sandra Rottenberg.

Jewish life in Berlin is diverse. For some, religion plays a major role, for some it does not. There are local resident Berlin Jews but also Jews from the former Soviet Union, among others. This group came to the city as so-called "Kontingentflüchtlinge" after the fall of communism. Another group for which the German capital is particularly popular consists of young, mostly left-liberal Israelis. Why is that? And where do we see contemporary Jewish Berlin reflected in the city's art and cultural scene?

In German media and public debate, being Jewish is often still reduced to the Shoah. As a result, Germans know little about Jewish culture and life worlds of today. Initiatives such as the talk show Freitagnacht Jews or the podcast 2021 Jüdisches Leben in Deutschland are trying to change that. But what else is needed to bring perspective to the present and future? How is being Jewish being experienced differently in a neighbouring country like the Netherlands?

This event is organized in collaboration by the Goethe-Institut Niederlande, the Duitsland Instituut Amsterdam and the Joods Cultureel Kwartier.

This meeting takes place in the context of the exhibition in the Jewish Cultural Quarter in Amsterdam by French photographer . For three years, he examined contemporary Jewish life in Berlin and captured diverse individuals. With portraits of newcomers, locals, converts, immigrants and other Jews who have made the city their home or were passing through, Brenner shows the various manifestations and expressions of Jewishness in contemporary Berlin. In doing so, Brenner explores the tension between the understanding of Berlin as the historical centre of the destruction of European Jewry in the 20th century and the reality of contemporary Berlin.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Goethe-Institut Niederlande, 470 Herengracht, Amsterdam, Netherlands