There are few cities quite as evocative for modern Jews as Berlin โ the city of the Enlightenment which helped give birth to Reform Judaism and the city of emancipation where Jews confidently rose to meet the challenge of life in the modern world. It is an energetic city that demonstrates the high points of integration and success, as well as the low points of persecution and destruction.
Over the course of four days, Rabbi Greg Weitzman led the 10th grade Confirmation class through encounters with people and places that asked our students to explore who they are as we visited the birth place of Reform Judaism and Rodeph Sholomโs roots.
[accordian title=”Day One: Landing and Erev Shabbat”]
Guttentag or as our friends in Germany say – Hallo.
Wow – it has been an unbelievable 36 hours. It all started a day ago, when we left the UWS of Manhattan with our hearts full from a special blessing with our clergy. We heard from many of our kids how special it is to think about the many milestones and moments that have happened on that bimah. From baby naming to b’nai mitzvah – and now a journey to Berlin. We will never forget the love, warmth, and sense of connection we felt singing together as a class and a family on our way to Germany.
After a rather uneventful flight, we landed in gray, rainy, chilly (hey it’s Europe!! in February), and magical Berlin. Upon our arrival, we were greeted at the airport by our wonderful Tour Educator, Hillel and our local guide, Ronen. After a brief bathroom break, a lot of caffeine and a shtickel of strudel we were on our way.
As we made our way past the Tiergarten, we found ourselves at the base of the Victory Column – the Siegessaule. It was here Germany celebrated its victory of the Franco-Prussian war. It was also the place that Adolf Hitler envisioned his marches to culminate.
Staring down the beautiful boulevards, we drove to the Brandenburg Gate. Together we crossed over the line where once stood the Berlin Wall, a separation of East and West Germany. Napoleon himself found its grand design to be so appealing that he wanted to build his own back in France. Unfortunately, he came up a bit too short (badum bum).
From there we headed to the site of the Berlin Wall memorial. There we stood on the side of East Berlin and heard the story of what life was like in a divided city. So many lives were lost trying to cross that wall and it stands today as a reminder of how division can harm – not only a body, but also a soul. A quick group photo was followed by lunch at a local food court. Everyone ate! Some chose falafel, some noodles, some got the best (chicken) wurst there is!
Following lunch we had a tour of the Reichstag, the center of German government. With beautiful views of the city of Berlin, the sights on top of the building are stunning and breathtaking. Our afternoon concluded with a few hours of rest at our hotel.
As evening began, we joined together for a beautiful Shabbat service. We could not get over the reality of what it must have been like for our ancestors who needed to light candles in Germany while hidden from the world. Nearly 80 years later, we were able to openly worship and pray together – a group of Jews who returned back to the birthplace of our congregation and the Reform movement. Together, we did Kiddush and HaMotzi at the restaurant before dinner.
I don’t think that we have ever left a meal as full, both in our hearts and in our bellies as we did tonight. As we say at Passover, it would have been enough if we had one salad, but we had two. It would have been enough if we had had one pasta, but we had three! It would have been enough if we had one dessert, but we had four! Dayeinu!
Tomorrow we look forward to our stroll through historic and Jewish Berlin. As the sun has set on the first night, we look forward to the adventure that lies ahead.
Auf Wiedersehen or something like that…
Rabbi, Vanessa, Jessica, and Dan
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[accordian title=”Day Two: Shabbat in the Berlin Jewish Quarter”]
Guttentag!
Shabbat Shalom from sunny Berlin!
As we left our hotel this morning, we headed out towards the Jewish quarter. Stopping on the Judenstrasse, we heard the story of the start of Berlin’s Jewish history. It’s a long and challenging history that dates back thousands of years. And yet, it is a beautiful and complex narrative – one that is worth learning about and struggling with. Specifically the story of Moses Mendelssohn, who left his impression not only on the Jewish community of Berlin, but also the academic and cultural institutions of Berlin. We saw the site of his former house and realized that to be in Berlin exploring its Jewish history, one needs to dig deep under the layers.
We heard heroic stories of bravery while standing outside the remains of the Alteschule – the oldest synagogue in Berlin and we heard stories of Abraham Geiger and the start of liberal Judaism in Berlin. And we heard the stories of the stolpersteine, one artists mission to keep the memory of those lost in the Holocaust alive.
We then continued our walking tour of Jewish Berlin, stopping at the Oranienberger Strasse synagogue, where we marveled at the mastery and artistry of this beautiful building where our own Rabbi Hirschberg had his Bar Mitzvah. A short stop to see some graffiti and we were able to have some time to enjoy lunch and shopping in the beautiful and vibrant Hackersher Market.
The afternoon was spent touring the Jewish Museum. We were very impressed by what Daniel Liebeskind, the architect, tried to accomplish with this building. It’s cold interior, corners that lead to nowhere, and bold lines left us feeling prepared for tomorrow where we are going to face and confront the atrocity of the Holocaust.
Our evening wound down with a Havdalah ceremony outside, and – because it was no longer Shabbas – and we don’t roll on Shabbas – we found our way to a famous German institution – a bowling alley. Good times were had by all – Jessica Cohen bowled a 112, Rabbi Weitzman bowled a 132, Dan Strauss bowled a 145, and Vanessa has chosen not to report her score – but the high score of the night goes to Ben Binday with a 155. He took home the prize for the first annual international Rodeph Sholom Bowling competition.
Dinner was a delicious Vietnamese feast. Surprisingly enough, Vietnamese cuisine is one of the specialties of Berlin!
It was a full day, but a fun day – and tomorrow is Sunday.
Auf Wiedersehen or something like that…
Rabbi, Vanessa, Jessica, and Dan
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[accordian title=”Day Three: Living History”]
Guttentag,
It was an early morning for us today as we began what was no doubt the hardest day for many of us. Our bus took us to the plaza of Humboldt University. Otherwise known as the Bebelplatz. This was the site where the Nazis began their crusade against the Jewish people and the academic community by burning books. In a chilling foretelling of the future we heard the quote from Heinrich Heine, who wrote in his 1820โ1821 play Almansor the famous admonition, โDort, wo man Bรผcher verbrennt, verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen”: “Where they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people.”
Our next stop was the Bavarian Quarter of Berlin. At one time, it was the prominent Jewish neighborhood. After the end of the war, the neighborhood stayed in disarray until the unification of Berlin. Today it is a vibrant gentrified neighborhood where a new generation of local Jews have moved. Throughout the streets are signs that stand as a reminder of the many Nuremberg Laws that defiled and degraded the Jews. There is no escaping from these signs and they are a constant reminder of what happened so many years ago.
As we continued, we drove to Wannsee, a beautiful suburban area of Berlin. The buildings and homes are idyllic and stand in stark contrast to what took place. They opened a new exhibit two weeks ago, and we were the first to see it’s newest updated display and layout. As 14 men sat around a table in this beautiful home, they thought up what would ultimately be deemed the final solution. Our students took in the museum as best as they could, but nothing can truly help one to understand.
We next went to Gleis 17, the outermost track where the Jews of Berlin were sent off to death camps. Together as a community, we commemorated this moment with words of Kaddish and the lighting of memorial candles. It wasn’t easy, but it was important.
After a quick break for lunch, we headed to the Topography of Terror. Currently housed on the remains of the the central institutions of Nazi persecution and terror where the Secret State Police Office and the leadership of the SS existed during the Second World War. This museum tells about the terror of propaganda and the atrocities committed by Heinrich Himmler and the SS. This moving exhibit showed us both the breath and depth of the Nazi totalitarian state and it’s destruction of civility.
Our afternoon closed with a disorienting experience at the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe. This memorial is right in the middle of Berlin, and it stands as a reminder for all who see it that we can not let this ever happen again. Across the street we walked to see the memorial of the LGBT community who also lost their lives in the Shoah.
Tonight we closed our evening with an engaging conversation about what are we taking back with us. As we have begun to process these last few days, we’re not really sure yet what the answer is, but we know that we can’t turn away from the discomfort we may feel. Instead, we must lean into and engage with the challenges that are ahead of us.
Auf Wiedersehen or something like that
Rabbi, Vanessa, Jessica, and Dan
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[accordian title=”Day Four: Exploring Western Berlin”]
Guttentag!
Wow – this trip has flown by. We can’t believe how quick these days have been and we are already sad knowing that we are heading home tomorrow. Our morning began visiting the site where the Kindertransport left. It was here that many Germans chose to send their children on trains out of Germany with the hope that they might have a better life and a different ending.
From there we went into the lovely and hip neighborhood known as Kroezberg. This was an area that was heavily bombed during World War 2, and whose building facades and walls are wide open for beautiful street art. Our amazing local guide Ronen took us on a walking tour of the graffiti. We walked along the Eastside Gallery and saw some of the most famous graffiti along the Berlin Wall. This neighborhood is also home to a large majority of the city’s Turkish population. It is a beautiful example of how Berlin has found a way to integrate its communities instead of marginalizing them.
For lunch, we found our way to the beautiful streets of Western Berlin. Sitting on top of the KaDaWe was something that can only be described as pure joy. A gourmet food court, a chocolatirea, and a confectionary. Many of us waddled out of there with our hearts and stomachs full and our sugar numbers through the roof. But lets be honest, the food on this trip has been so good…
Following our amazing afternoon of shopping, we went to a warehouse where we were greeted by our guide Trevor who works for Alternative Berlin Tours. This group runs street art experiences and tours throughout Berlin. Each of us had the opportunity to pick our own stencil and spray paint a piece of street art that we could take home. Some of us did better than others – but hey – art is art.
Speaking of food, dinner was a traditional German feast. Schnitzel and Spaetzal and Gurkensalat and Mushrooms and Red Cabbage – delicious. And then the strudel came out…we ended right back where we started, with a shtickel of strudel.
We are sad to leave this place, but we know that Berlin will be with us forever.
Auf Wiedersehen or something like that
Rabbi, Vanessa, Jessica, and Dรคn
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Justin Callis (he/him), our Cantorial Intern, is a fourth-year student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. He is the recipient of the Reuben Peretz Abelson Prize for dedication to Yiddish Song, the Temple Israel of Boston Cantorial Prize, and the Lee Gura Memorial Prize for Aptitude in Synagogue Choral Music.
Sarah Adams, viola, performs locally with the New York Chamber Ensemble, theย Claring Chamber Players, the Sherman Chamber Ensemble, the Friends of Mozart, and the Saratoga Chamber Players.
Violinist Michael Roth is a native of Scarsdale, NY and received his early musical training with Frances Magnes at the Hoff-Barthelson Music School. He attended Oberlin College and Conservatory, continuing his studies with Marilyn McDonald. At Oberlin, he won the Kaufman Prize for violin and First Prize in the Ohio String Teacher’s Association Competition. He completed his Master of Music degree at the University of Massachusetts where he worked with the distinguished American violinist and pedagogue Charles Treger and was a recipient of the Julian Olevsky Award.ย Mr. Roth is currently associate concertmaster of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and has appeared in chamber music and as a soloist with the company, most recently in the debut of “Slice Too Sharp”, a ballet of Biber and Vivaldi violin concerti, and “After the Rain”, violin music of Arvo Part. In addition he is a member of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Principal 2nd violin of the Westchester Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra and the New York Pops. He was concertmaster of the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra for many years and often appeared as soloist there, as well as at the Caramoor and Bard Music Festivals. He has played and toured internationally with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the New York Chamber Soloists.
Known for his sweet and โsumptuousโ (New York Times) tone, American-born Doori Na took up violin at the age of four and began his studies with Li Lin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He quickly made his first performance with orchestra at age seven with the Peninsula Youth Symphony as the first prize winner of the concerto competition. Thereafter Mr. Na went on to win top prizes in The Sound of Music Festival, The Korea Times Youth Music Competition, the Chinese Music Teacherโs Association, The Menuhin Dowling Young Artist Competition, The Junior Bach Festival, VOCE of the Music Teacherโs Association of California, and The Pacific Musical Society. Receiving full scholarships to private high school Crossroads School of Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, he moved to Los Angeles to study with renown violin teacher, Robert Lipsett, at The Colburn Music School. There he appeared as soloist with the Palisades Symphony, Brentwood Symphony, and Torrance Symphony. During that time, the summer of 2004 was Mr. Naโs first time at the Perlman Music Program where his expression and musical identity were greatly influenced. He has been a part of the program ever since and participated in many of their special residencies in Florida, Vermont, New York, and Israel.
Alan Goodis is a touring Jewish musician playing over 150 events a year. Born and raised in Toronto, Alan is a proud product of URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute. Noted for his dedication to building relationships and community through music, Alan tours throughout the US to serve as an Artist-In-Residence and performer at Temples, Youth Conventions and Jewish summer camps.
Julie Silver is one of the most celebrated and beloved performers in the world of contemporary Jewish music today. She tours throughout the world, and has been engaging audiences with her gorgeous compositions and liturgical settings, her lyrical guitar playing, her dynamic stage presence, and her megawatt smile for over 25 years.
Dan is a product of the URJ Jewish camping movement. He has toured Jewish summer camps across North America for the last 15 years. A classically trained singer, Dan received his Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance at the University of North Carolina. In 1995, realizing the potential of music to make powerful connections with Jewish youth, Dan established the Jewish rock band Eighteen. Since that time, Dan and Eighteen have released 13 albums. Songs like, Lโtakein, Bโtzelem Elo-him, Kehillah Kedoshah, Chazak, Sweet As Honey, and Asher Yatzar have become Jewish communal anthems throughout North America.
Naomi Less is an internationally celebrated singer/songwriter, ritualist and educator. Beloved for her warm smile and inviting presence, communities celebrate her imagination and innovation, tenderness and pizzazz! Her original music is sung in worship communities worldwide. Naomi serves as Co-Founder, Ritual Leader and Associate Director of Lab/Shul and is a leader in amplifying women’s voices through her work at Songleader Boot Camp and her Jewish Women Rock show on Jewish Rock Radio. Naomiadvocates for people struggling with fertility journeys as a performance artist and speaker for Uprooted: A Jewish Response to Fertility Challenges. Fun fact: Naomi and her husband wrote the song shine/Yivarech’cha, a Friday night blessing, specifically composed for URJ Crane Lake Camp, sung every Friday night in the dining hall.
Her destiny became obvious to Joanie Leedsโ parents when, at the tender age of 2, Joanie grabbed the performerโs mic at a party and belted out the entire songโTomorrowโ from Annie. Jaws dropped! No one could remember ever hearing a big voice like that coming from one so tiny and certainly no one would have thought she would one day earn a GRAMMYยฎ Award for her original music.
A composer, multi-instrumentalist, and prayer leader, Elana Arian is one of the leading voices in contemporary Jewish music. Elanaโs music is part of Jewish life across the globe, and her compositions are sung in spiritual communities, summer camps, and synagogues from Louisville to London, from Chicago to the CzechRepublic, and everywhere in between. Elana just released her fourth album of original music, The Other Side of Fear, and her compositions have been published in countless Transcontinental Music collections. Elana serves proudly on the faculty of Hava Nashira (Oconomowoc, WI), the Wexner Heritage Foundation (Aspen, CO), Shirei Chagiga (London, England), and as an instructor at the Hebrew Union College in New York, where she teaches in the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. Elana has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Tanglewood, and perhaps most memorably, five separate appearances at the (Obama) White House. She lives in New York with her wife, Julia, and their two daughters, Maya and Acadia.
Known for his unique, engaging, and deeply soulful approach, Noah Aronson is considered one of the most sought after Jewish musicians in North America, making over 65 community appearances each year.
There is a reason why Time Magazine has listed Michelle in their Top Ten list of Jewish rock stars.
Kol BโSeder has been composing and performing contemporary Jewish music since the early1970s. Rabbi Dan Freelander and Cantor Jeff Klepper met as college students; over the past 50years they have released numerous CDs and songbooks. With Debbie Friedman (z”l) and others, they forged a new musical sound for American Jewish camps, schools and synagogues. Their songs, such as “Shalom Rav,โ โModeh Ani,โ and “Lo Alecha,” have become traditionalJewish melodies around the world. They are delighted to be inaugurating their fiftieth anniversary celebration by appearing in support of URJ camps, where they first composed and incubated many of their early songs.
Rabbi Mira Weller (she/her) received her ordination at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles in May 2022. She studied Culture and Politics at Georgetown Universityโs School of Foreign Service and received her Masterโs in Jewish Education at the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at HUC-JIR. She is the proud recipient of awards for her studies in rabbinic literature, her work in Jewish education, and she was granted the Myrtle Lorch Pfaelzer-Monroe Pfaelzer Award for an Outstanding Female Rabbinical School Student (2022). Rabbi Mira speaks Hebrew and Spanish (so please practice with her!). She has a passion for uncovering new possibilities in the great wealth of our tradition and for making music inspired by Judaismโs many cultures. Her guilty pleasures include cupcakes, classical music, and philosophy.
New York bassist Roger Wagner enjoys a long and diverse career. As soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral bassist, Mr. Wagner has appeared on many of the world’s great concert stages.
Sarah Adams 
Leonard Bernstein described 
Praised by the New York Times as โirresistible in both music and performance.โ flutist, 
Margaret Kampmeier, 
Michael Roth
Our initiative for young children and their grown-ups provides a slate of offerings including Shabbat and holiday celebrations, music, classroom readiness programs, and new parent experiences. During the pandemic, we have leaned on $1m of seed funding for Sholom Sprouts established through this campaign as we offer age-appropriate virtual programs for our families with young children, who are the future of our community. We look forward to welcoming our littlest members and their grown-ups back to our new fifth floor, as well as hiring a Program Assistant to increase the capacity of Sholom Sprouts to grow. This program provides a crucial entry-point to the congregation and membership for young families.
