Understanding the Jewish life in Germany, beyond the usual approach regarding the 'contingent people' (Jews from the Russian-speaking lands that were allowed to move to Germany in the early 1990s) is a work in process.
The arrival of Jews from the former Soviet Union territory was a challenge both for the very small group of local Jews and for the country in general, after decades of absence of a proper Jewish life. It is a lot to be said and written about what happened after all those years and at what extent the religious and cultural identity of the local communities were challenged and changed following this interaction.
In the collective volume of 'Weil ich hier leben will', the authors involved at various extents with the Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk (ELES) are sharing their experiences, wishes and expectations of a new Jewish life in Germany. Although most of the writers do have a direct experience mostly with the intricacies of the everyday Jewish life and community organisation in Berlin, other parts of the country are also covered, although at a very limited extent.
For someone relatively knowledgeable of those aspects, the volume is not bringing too many insights and even the less about practical solutions, but it outlines in a common effort ideas and suggestions that are 'in the air' for a long time. Such as how to re-redefine the Jewish identity otherwise than in relationship with Shoah, how to increase the level of democracy within the organisational structures of the community - a very complicated and almost impossible mission under the current conditions in my opinion - the role of the Jewish education and how to improve it (as the schools are the direct responsibility of the aforementioned community, the education is the collateral victim of the lack of vision), what role to assign to the Israeli, non-European Jews that settled in Germany, especially in Berlin in the last years. And last but not least, the permanence of anti-semitism in its different manifestations.
The discussion for each and every one of those topics requires volumes and weeks of discussions, not necessarily leading to solutions. Sometimes solutions are not necessarily what one should look for, as opportunities and new possibilities might arise. It is important to seize the momentum and raise the voice, but would always be better to dare to speak your mind when necessarily - like in the case of the debate regarding the advice of a German official to the Jews to wear or not the kippa - outside the narrow limits of the community.
The clear, outstanding Jewish voices are needed as part of the democractic representation in this country, and this volume gives an idea about the current intellectual leadership. It was an interesting reading overall, although there are so many corrections to be done and approaches that are specific to the religious and cultural background of the authors only.
