Munich, Germany Twenty-seven years after the downfall of Adolf Hitler and the end of the Holocaust, the Jews of Israel made a symbolic return to Germany in the form of the Israeli Olympic team. This act not only represented the courage and resilience of the Jewish spirit, it also represented the first tentative moments of reconciliation between the Jews and Germans. … [Read more...]
HOUSE OF THE WANNSEE CONFERENCE
Wannsee, Germany The persecution and ostracization of the Jewish people was a keystone of the Nazi party platform from the moment of its inception, and these formally became public policy with the enactment of the Nuremberg Laws in 1935. But it was not until 1942 that the terrifying idea of a ‘Final Solution to the Jewish Question’ was officially implemented. On January … [Read more...]
THE MENDELSSOHN GRAVESITES
Berlin, Germany The Mendelssohn family of Germany was, with the possible exception of the Rothschilds, the most famous Jewish family of the Enlightenment. Over the course of three generations, the Mendelssohns produced one of the greatest philosophers (Moses), one of the greatest bankers (Joseph) and one of the greatest musicians (Felix) in Germany. The family rose to such … [Read more...]
ROTHSCHILD PALACE & JEWISH MUSEUM
Frankfurt, Germany For more than two centuries, the name Rothschild has conjured up visions of fabulous wealth and international prestige. The Rothschilds, an immensely influential dynasty of Jewish bankers and financiers, was for a time one of the wealthiest familes in the world. With their ancestral home in Frankfurt, Germany, the Rothschilds later expanded into England, … [Read more...]
NEW SYNAGOGUE
Berlin, Germany It is ironic that one of the greatest synagogues to survive the Holocaust stands so close to the center of Berlin, the capital of the most violently anti-Semitic empire the world has ever seen. While the Jewish community of Berlin was neither Europe’s oldest nor its largest, as many other Jewish communities throughout Central and Eastern Europe surpassed … [Read more...]
RASHI SHUL SYNAGOGUE
Worms, Germany The cities of Mainz and Worms in Germany were the first major centers of Judaism in Central Europe, and together are considered to be the birthplace of Ashkenazi Jewry. While Mainz was the older, larger and more important of these two Jewish communities, more of medieval Jewish Worms has survived the ravages of time. Some of the oldest Jewish sites in … [Read more...]
PASSION PLAY OF OBERAMMERGAU
Oberammergau, Germany In the year 1634, the residents of the small town of Oberammergau in Germany made a collective pledge to God that if he would spare them from the plague which was then ravaging Central Europe, they would reciprocate by reenacting the Passion of Jesus Christ every ten years. The town was largely spared, and the villagers’ vow has since been fulfilled as … [Read more...]
GUTENBERG MUSEUM
Mainz, Germany In the mid-15th century, Johannes Gutenberg, an innovative citizen of Mainz in Germany, invented the world’s first moveable-type printing press. Sixteen years later, Gutenberg produced his magnum opus, and one of the most famous books in history: the Gutenberg edition of the Holy Bible. According to the records of his studio, one hundred and eighty volumes … [Read more...]
REFORMATION MEMORIAL
Worms, Germany While Wittenberg was the place where Martin Luther inadvertently set the stage for the Reformation movement, Worms is where he formally threw down the gauntlet to the religious authorities of the day. Two years after first professing his views in writing on the door of the Castle Church, Luther formally challenged the Papacy outright at the Diet of Worms. … [Read more...]
WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH
Wittenberg, Germany The Protestant Reformation went through numerous fits and starts before finally gaining traction in the City of Wittenberg. It is ironic that Protestantism found its first true success in the very heart of the Papal-supported Holy Roman Empire, although the widespread decentralization of Imperial power in Central Europe perhaps made it the logical place … [Read more...]
