Teri Herbstman, ADL Layleader reflects on her recent experience on Germany Close Up

The experiences I had in Berlin with Germany Close Up were incredible. The people that came on the program and the staff that ran it were all amazing and I am confident that our group will remain close long after the trip.  We saw so many sites and learned so much in such a short amount of time.  Growing up, Germany was never a place that came up on my top 10 places I'd like to go in life (it probably didnt even make the top 100 list).  We never bought German products and 'Germany', the name, always came with negative conotations.  While I still STRONGLY believe that we as a people, a nation, the world should NEVER forgive and NEVER forget the Shoah or which countries played a huge role in it, Germany Close Up has left me with a different take on Germany today. 

The German government is taking steps forward to take responsibility for its past and make a better future for Jews today.  That cannot be said about neighboring countries (ie. Poland and Austria) who played a role in the Shoah and still have large amounts of Anti-Semitism coursing through their countries.  You cannot walk down a busy street in Berlin without remembering the Shoah.  All throughout the city, the government has issued a new project of tripping, or stepping stones.  They are gold stones throughout the city on the sidewalk in front of any house or apartment where a Jew used to live.  On the stone, it has the person's name, date of birth, date of deportation, the name of the camp they were sent to, and it says "murdered" with the year.  Not born on this date, died on this date....murdered.  And they are all written in German; so, every where a German walks today, he is reminded of his country's past.  The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is massive branching several city blocks and is next to the Brandenburg Gate.  They said the reason for this placement is that the Brandenburg Gate is a symbol of peace and freedom after the wall came down and so no German should be able to see this sign of freedom without seeing the Shoah memorial so they always remember. 

We had the opportunity to meet with many high ranking officials in the German Parliament.  We were able to ask them tough, personal questions about Germany's current relationship with the Jews in their country and with Israel.  We got to ask questions about what they are doing about the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe and what programs they have set up for holocaust education in their school districts.  We went to many museums and galleries and had great tours of Berlin, learning about its history including the Shoah, Check Point Charlie, and the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, as well as many other facts about the city.  The Jewish Museum in Berlin is massive and teaches young German non-Jewish students about the Holocaust but more so about what Judaism is and its origins which is so important.  We also visited neighboring cities of Berlin like Wittenberg and Potsdam.  We went to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.  We had dinner with German young people our age one night and dinner with young German Jews another night.  We even watched Maccabi Haifa play against Bayern Munchen in a soccer match at a local pub!

Berlin is an amazing place to see and a city that I have grown to love - it should be in everyone's Top 10 lists of places to visit because it is so important that we all go and see what the country is doing to take responsibility for its past and to ensure it will never happen again in the future.  Germany Close Up did an outstanding job of making sure we as participants received a fair portrait of Berlin and its relations to the Jewish community and Israel today.  The schedule was well organized and I felt that all of my time there while on the program was extremely well spent.  I would highly recommend this trip to others and I wish that I will go back to Berlin one day soon!  Please let me know if anyone has any questions about the trip as I would be happy to answer them (teri.herbstman@gmail.com).  Have fun, safe travels, and make sure to enjoy a pint of beer while you are there and clink glasses with a friend and after saying 'L'chaim!', add in 'Hoch die Tassen! and Prost!' as well!