Jewish life

How do Jews live in Germany?
How do they see themselves?
What values are important to them?
What influence do religion and tradition have on their everyday lives?
Where do they experience anti-Semitism and how do they deal with it?

The texts and videos on this website provide an insight into how Jews of different origins, backgrounds and religious beliefs live Jewish lives in Germany today. How do they practice Shabbat and holidays, what is their favorite Jewish food, what Jewish values do they bring to society? The answers are as diverse as the personalities.

Judaism is by its very nature polyphonic.

In Hebrew printed editions of biblical books and the Talmud, a core text is placed in the middle, and around it are a number of commentaries. These are notes on linguistic peculiarities or theological interpretations or discussions of religious law or polemics of various kinds. They are written by rabbis and scholars (unfortunately hardly any women among them) who have grappled with the text in the middle for thousands of years. Their commentaries reflect their personal views, the circumstances in which they lived and their efforts to create a living Judaism. Their statements line the text as if the authors were sitting around a table in person and the separation of space and time had been abolished. There is only one basic principle: you can have very different opinions, but the comments of others are not erased. But you can add your own commentary and explain your own point of view. In this way, a polyphonic, pluralistic picture emerges that conveys many nuances about Judaism.