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Speech by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Ceremony Marking the 40Th Anniversary of the Hochschule Für Jüdische Studien Heidelberg, 17 June 2019

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Speech by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Ceremony Marking the 40Th Anniversary of the Hochschule Für Jüdische Studien Heidelberg, 17 June 2019 The speech online: www.bundespraesident.de page 1 of 4 Speech by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the Hochschule für Jüdische Studien Heidelberg, 17 June 2019 It is now 40 years since the Hochschule für Jüdische Studien (HfJS) opened its doors here in Heidelberg and I congratulate you all most warmly on this milestone which is certainly not something to be taken for granted! I am both delighted and honoured to be here today. Thank you very much for inviting me. All of you here in this room and many others besides have worked to ensure that it is impossible to imagine public and academic life in Germany without the HfJS. And that is why I am particularly grateful to you, the members of the Hochschule and Heidelberg University, to the Central Council of Jews in Germany, to Land Baden Württemberg and to all who support and promote the HfJS. Jewish Studies, the study of Judaism, have been a part of Germany for 200 years. We are also celebrating this today. And it is safe to say that it was a long journey from a meeting of young Jewish intellectuals in Berlin in 1819 of all years - the year of the Carlsbad Decrees, the year of the climax of the Restauration, the year of the strictest censorship of the press and monitoring of universities, but also the year of the violent Hep-Hep riots against Jews and against Jewish emancipation in many cities in Germany. It was a long journey through war, torture, persecution and the murder of milions in the 20th century to the creation of a Hochschule für Jüdische Studien. “…and thou shalt meditate therein day and night“ this is the sentence you chose as your guiding principle. Those glancing at your range of courses, those wandering through your rooms, can sense just how much meditating, thinking and reading is done there. Teaching staff and students focus on studying the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud, Jewish history, philosophy and culture, Jewish literature and art. What an impressive range of studies which, and that is so important particularly today, is rooted in the power of the word. ADDRESS Bundespräsidialamt TEL 11010 Berlin FAX +49 30 2000-2021 E-MAIL +49 30 1810200-2870 WEBSITE [email protected] www.bundespräsident.de page 2 of 4 In 1979 the founding of a Hochschule für Jüdische Studien - in Germany of all places was a new beginning which for most would have been inconceivable after the betrayal of all civilised values that was the Shoah. This HfJS is a symbol of reconciliation and it is a pledge for the future. This is a place of research, teaching and learning, people are trained here to stride forth into society using their knowledge of Judaism, of the Jewish religion, history and culture. You are all an asset to our country and we need you! You have all played your part in enabling Jewish life in Germany to blossom once more. Here, at the HfJS, it is not just about learning. This is a place where Jewish life is upheld, a place, above all, where Jewish life is lived. In recent years, many Jewish congregations have grown in Germany once more, Jewish theology is being taught, Rabbis are being trained and ordained. Every year, thousands of young Israelis head to Germany to study, launch start-ups, open bars and restaurants, give concerts and work in theatre. This multifaceted Jewish life is a source of immeasurable joy for our country and I am profoundly grateful that we can reach out to one another across the abyss of history. My gratitude was particularly pronounced in 2014, when – in a different capacity – I had the privilege of visiting the White Stork Synagogue in Wrocław. It was almost exactly the 75th anniversary of Germany’s invasion of Poland, which marked the beginning of the Second World War. 75 years later, I sat in the White Stork Synagogue, which was filled beyond capacity; I witnessed the ordination of new rabbis in an impressive ceremony – for the first time, rabbis in Poland who had been trained here in Germany! It was a tangible and huge expression of trust in our country. One that moved me deeply and has been etched in my memory. “All real living is meeting”, as the great Jewish scholar Martin Buber once said, and what place would be better suited for this than such a Hochschule. It is a place of encounter without equal not just in Germany but all across Europe. Jewish and non-Jewish young women and men from all parts of Europe, indeed from all over the world study here side by side. Earlier, I had the opportunity to chat to some students and I was very impressed by what they told me. One of them is Yuriy Zubov. He comes from Lviv in Ukraine, a city which was once a hub of Jewish life: He completed a Masters here in Jewish Civilizations. I am delighted that, with the help of the prize money attached to the Ignatz Bubis Prize for Reconciliation, I can make a small contribution to support young people like Yuriy as they study at the HfJS. I was greatly honoured to be awarded this Prize but I also saw it as a mandate. page 3 of 4 Ignatz Bubis seemed to embody the passionate appeal for understanding and dialogue. And that is no doubt exactly what he expects from those awarded the prize in his name and bearing his name. At a time when it is more and more often volume which dictates visibility, we as a society need to keep our channels for dialogue open. This is something that is particularly important to me, especially when reason and respect are being openly attacked and the rules of our co- existence are exposed to increasing pressure. Here in Heidelberg and at this Hochschule, there is space for encounters which brings us back to Martin Buber for discussions across religious boundaries and continents. “Meditate therein day and night” without thinking, without knowing about one another, without understanding others, dialogue cannot work. Religious freedom is a hallmark of liberal democracies. But a further hallmark is that religious communities ask themselves, and allow others to ask, critical questions, also those of different faiths and non-believers. And that is precisely what you manage amazingly successfully here in Heidelberg. However, on days like this we also need to talk about the limits of dialogue. Hatred and violence destroy dialogue. They challenge us to take a stand using words and deeds, using the tools of civic courage and using the means available to a state based on the rule of law. Practically on a daily basis, Jewish citizens, even schoolchildren, are humiliated, insulted or even attacked in our country, gravestones are vandalised, loathing and hatred are spread on the Internet. This hatred apparently knows no bounds. Only recently, anti- Semitic and right-wing graffito slurs were discovered in the Synagogue and Jewish museum of Augsburg. Just under two years ago, I was a guest at the centenary celebration of that very synagogue. It is one of the few in Germany where the building survived the barbarity of National Socialism – despite having been set on fire. Mr Schuster was also there and, like me, he will have fond memories of this thought- provoking, incredibly dignified event in this wonderful synagogue. Anti- Semitic graffiti like the ones discovered at the exhibit and in the women’s gallery are not only completely disrespectful of believers, but also despicable and repugnant! I am deeply worried by the increase in anti-Semitic and racist attacks in Germany. I am even more concerned to see that anti Semitism is again becoming acceptable – even at the heart of our society. We must not accept Jewish citizens being the target of disparagement and hatred. We must not remain indifferent and we must not get used to a situation where Jewish schools and synagogues page 4 of 4 have to be heavily guarded. And we must not accept a situation in which Jews do not dare to wear a kippah on our streets. Any attack, any humiliation and most certainly any act of violence against Jews is an attack on the very foundations of our co existence, on our democracy, on our open society. The state and its institutions have the job of protecting Jewish life – always. This must not be relativised by pointing to civil society. But the fight against anti- Semitism also concerns each and every one of us. Being a citizen of our democracy means actively standing up to all forms of anti Semitism. Turning a blind eye and pretending not to hear, saying nothing and doing nothing when Jewish citizens are insulted, derided or violently attacked that cannot and must not be an option, not for any of us. This is part of our responsibility that will never, and must never, end. Your Hochschule is a laboratory for a dialogue rooted in reason, for dialogue between Christians, Jews and Muslims, between academia and society, between faith and politics! You are making an immeasurable contribution to understanding and reconciliation - and to democratic discourse in our country. I am extremely grateful and delighted that we have an institution like this in Germany. Let me thank all of you. I wish you all every success and may your voices always be heard. My particular thanks goes to Professor Heil today. You have led the Hochschule for eleven years and shown outstanding dedication. You have very much left your mark on the HfJS, established further international networks and ensured it can look to a bright future.
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