Germany
Overview
Germany is Europe’s second most populous nation and has its largest economy. It’s also home to the fastest growing Jewish population in the Diaspora (Jewish populations outside of Israel), which has gone from 22,000 prior to reunification to more than 200,000 today. The dramatic rise is largely due to the generous immigration packages offered to Soviet Jews by the German government.
Need
The massive expansion of Germany’s Jewish community demands a community network equipped to accommodate the influx. Further complicating the process is the fact that most of these new citizens came from the former Soviet Union, where Jewish culture had been repressed for decades. As a result, large segments of Germany’s Jewish community have no substantive knowledge of Jewish culture and lack the tools to create a vibrant Jewish future.
Response
JDC is working with local partners in more than 30 cities and across diverse Jewish population groups to ensure that every new immigrant has the opportunity to be part of a strong Jewish future. JDC’s efforts include:
- Bambinim Early Childhood Program and new activities for young adults and young families, which help Soviet Jewish émigrés and others develop greater awareness of their Jewish roots and provide multiple entryways into Jewish life
- Buncher and Leatid Community Leadership Programs, which train Jewish community leaders through seminars, workshops, and mentoring opportunities
- Workshops on contemporary and thought-provoking Jewish topics
Impact
Working as a consultant and program partner, JDC has helped bridge cultural barriers, particularly for new immigrants, making it possible for Jews to connect with and embrace Jewish community life. Examples include:
- Inaugurating young adult programming in Düsseldorf and Köln, which has attracted those aged 25 to 40 to community life
- Developing professional activities that have attracted as many as 500 participants
- Bambinim has served some 100 young families and collaborated with other Jewish institutions in Berlin
- An annual Jewish book fair, made possible by librarians trained in a JDC-sponsored program, that brings together German and Russian-speaking Jews
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