Despite Growing anti-Semitism, Younger Generations Refuse To Hide

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from JPUPDATES March 23, 2015 Suzanne Vega

Over the past few months the world has seen a sharp increase in anti-Semitism, with the attacks in France and Denmark, causing many to flee to Israel for fear for their safety.

Though, the Jews in Berlin have yet to be deterred. In fact, they say they have a thriving Jewish community.

Take Cafe Elfenbein, which opened last year in a trendy Berlin neighborhood, and is owned by two Jewish businessmen.

One major reason is that a young and more confident generation is shaping a new Jewish identity, according to US Today.

“Jewish life is flourishing in Berlin and the rest of the country,” said Jutta Wagemann, spokeswoman for the Central Council of Jews in Germany.

Out of 80 million people, the Jewish community in Germany lies at 200,000, having grown considerably since 1950.

Since then, there have been major additions to assist the Jewish community. There was a church that was converted into a synagogue in the East German city of Cottbus, giving 460 Jewish-Russians a place to call home.

In addition, the School of Jewish Theology at the University of Potsdam made the city near Berlin the center of Jewish studies in Germany.

“There has been a big generational change,” said Oren Osterer, organizer of the European Maccabi Games, the biggest Jewish sports event, which will take place in Germany for the first time this summer. “Many in the Jewish community in Europe didn’t want the games to take place in Germany. They thought that Germany wasn’t ready yet.”

Many continued to oppose it until 2011 when the German Maccabi made a bold statement by brandishing Israel’s colors, in contrast to the traditional red, yellow and black of Germany.

Although there is anti-Semitism in Germany, community leaders and the Jewish community alike, say that people have not been fleeing and instead have been remaking themselves.

In Poland, home to 25,000 Jews, a museum called the History of Polish Jews opened in Warsaw in October. Jewish dance and folk music have become trendy, as reported by US Today.

Keeping in line with modern day, a few Jewish young adults in their 20s have created the fashion brand Risk OY with Yiddish-inspired clothing. T-Shirts feature such slogans as “Oy oy, my boy is goy” or “ISREAL.”

“There is a new Jewish identity here”, said Anna Tenenbaum, co-founder of Risk OY.

“Young Jewish people in Poland are coming back to their roots,” she said. “We have started to search for our family history, but at the same time, we don’t only want to look back. The future is important to us. We want to be responsible for our identity, and at the same time not be too serious about it.”

“Jewish identity is changing in Europe, largely because young people are educated in a different environment than the previous generation”, said Diego Ornique, Europe director of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, a humanitarian group based in New York.

These young people have learned to balance their history and identity with the changes of modern day. They seem to be marketing themselves in a respectable manner.

“The younger generation is embracing their culture and identity through informal initiatives and grass-roots movements,” he said.  CLICK HERE to keep reading