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July 2003
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July 2003 e-Newsletter
Reclaiming My Family
by Ursel Kamaan, Germany
The experience of meeting with Jewish people for reconciliation went far beyond my expectations. There were moments of deep sharing, with tears, holding and comforting each other, sharing the pain that came up when visiting former Jewish places in Berlin, and the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. And the pain was not only on the Jewish side. I realized what a loss it must have been when all the Jewish people left - had to leave - Germany. Losses of creativity, of love, compassion, like a stream of energy leaving the country with the people.
The most important insight for me is that through this meeting I got that part of my family back… something that was missing without my being aware - a part of my past. I feel so rich now, full of love and full of gratitude.
"I got involved
in this work as a German, because I want my country back. I have realized
that in order to get my country back fully I need the Jewish people back
in my country! So the goal is to make it safe enough and welcoming enough
for a million Jewish people to happily live in Germany. This project is
a big step towards that. It also gave me back my faith in humanity."
— Martin Dronsfield, German Facilitator
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“By our third day together, as fears and barriers softened, we knew we had become family, and that nothing could come between us. The words ‘never again’ took on new meaning for me that day.” — Leah Green, USA |
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Fear Not...
by Gabrielle Siels, Germany
On the third night of our project we had a spontaneous celebration of
coming back together, a ritual for the painful separation of Jews and
Germans. I wrote in my journal that night, “Please God, I saw the
image of all the persons standing in front of me, when I closed my eyes,
as being the image of you, God. Please let this feeling stay with me in
my heart and let it grow.”
I forgot about those words in my journal, but I will never forget the
feeling I described. It shook me deeply. I realized I had been so afraid
to meet the Jews. I remember Mina saying, when she introduced herself,
“My name is Mina and I am named after my grandmother who died in
the gas chambers of the Nazis.” I was paralyzed with fear.
Fear cannot be taken away. It is always a pathway to truth. I learned
to walk the path that connects us with our feelings, our bodies, with
life. I learned that there is pain involved, but also pure love. I learned
that love is so much stronger and what it might mean: Fear not.
“I was longing for a way to go beyond my shame, fear, grief, hatred... searching for truth and healing. My hopes were met 100%.”
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