THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Vacation Sites

TIBERIAS — With the
Sinai soon to be returned to
Egypt, Israelis will be
forced to find vacation spots
in other regions of the coun-
try. As a result, there is a
new IS 15 million ($1 mil-
lion) plan to develop the
coast of Lake Kinneret,
especially the northern and
eastern parts. The plan is a
joint venture of the Minis-
try of Tourism, the Jewish
Agency, and Jewish Na-
tional Fund.
The first phase calls for
the improvement of roads
leading to the shores, im-
provement of the shores
themselves and increasing
tourist services.

Expanding German Christian-Jewish Dialogue
Was Sparked by 1961 Trial of Adolf Eichmann'

World Zionist
Press Service

deep and powerful. What is As a result of the trial there
less known is the effect that
JERUSALEM — Apart the trial had on Germans — was a serious interest ex-
from the tension in Israel- especially Christian Ger- pressed at the gathering in
German relations following mans — and how it altered Israel and by the Jewish
Menahem Begin's attack on the relations of many of people.
"Prior to this, there had
Chancellor Schmidt, 1981 them towards Israel and the
been formal relations be..
— whatever else it brought Jewish people.
tween the two countries
to Israel — marks the 20th
"The Eichmann trial," re-
anniversary of one of the calls German Protestant but now the churches, as
country's most traumatic Pastor Dr. Michael Krupp, religious institutions,
events, the trial of Adolf "coincided with the bi- wished to open up a
dialogue with Israel and
Eichmann.
annual Church Day in
The impression made by Germany when the the survivors of the
the trial on Israelis and churches meet to discuss Holocaust. As a direct re-
Jews, especially on the topics of mutual interest sult of the Church Day,
younger generation, was and contemporary issues. Jewish and Israeli
speakers were brought
over to Germany to speak
to the churches about all
matters pertaining to this
possible dialogue."
By another coincidence
Dr. Krupp, then a 20-year-
old seminarian from Berlin,
was visiting Israel, learning
Hebrew, working on kibutz,
studying the Bible and
gathering material for his
first book. The subject was
Zionist history and the book
was to be published soon af-
ter, on his return to Ger-
many. "As a result of the
book," he adds modestly, "I
became known within my
church as something of a
`Jewish expert.' "
Dr. Krupp's own interest
— which was to make him a
key figure in the German-
Israel dialogue — was not
totally accidental: "My
father, an East Prussian
priest, was an active anti-
Nazi. Even prior to the war,
between 1936 and 1938, he
got thrown into jail several
times for organizing illegal
meetings and for sheltering
`illegal' priests.
"As a result of his experi-
ences in jail he did not
openly agitate again, partly
for the sake of his children
— of whom there were then
seven — and partly because
he saw many of his contem-
poraries being carted off to
concentration camps."
3,1*
Dr. Krupp recalls his
A PINE9121 0 12A
local church kindergar-
ten in Elbing being taken
over by the Nazis, who
swathed a large portrait
of Jesus in a huge Nazi
flag. "I stayed at the kin-
dergarten for two hours
and then fled for good."
When peace came he was
six. His first contacts with
Jews after the war came
WM NO MI I= IMB
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when his parents moved to
I The Jewish News
Essen, where his neighbors
were Jewish converts to
I 17515 W. 9 Mile Rd., Suite 865
Catholicism. "But there was
Southfield, Mich. 48075
also a small Jewish com-
munity in the city," he adds,
1
"and we would visit their
Gentlemen:
synagogue and their
homes." Later, too, his
Please send a (gift)subscription:
I
father invited many of the
community to their home so
NAME
1
that Michael's contacts be-
came personal.
1
His interest in Jews and
ADDRESS
Israel remained with him
1
through his semanarian
1
CITY
years, and brought him on
STATE
ZIP
1
his first trip to Israel and his
1
reputation as a "Jewish ex-
From:
pert." This expertise earned
1
him a further stay in Israel,
1
If
gift
state
occasion
in the mid 1960s, when he
1
completed his doctorate in
1 I $15 enclosed
Mishna at the Hebrew Uni-
I
versity.
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Friday, January 1, 1982 45

German volunteers are shown relaxing in Ein
Karem, a Jerusalem neighborhood. The Jewish
dialogue with Christian Germany has developed dur-
ing the last decade on both theoretical and practical
levels.

The year 1970 was an- Zionism as well as to get to
other significant turning know the land and its
point in German-Israel re-
people.
lations. The Lutheran
"When they return to
Church set up the Aktion Germany they can become
Suhnenzeichen program for an influence both inside and
German volunteers to work outside the church. I've seen
in Israel. The program was the first results and they are
headed by Dr.. Krupp who very encouraging. We have
took up residency in 70 candidates for the com-
Jerusalem's Ein Karem dis- ing year and it is a shame
trict, where he stayed ever that we can only accept 20.
since, marrying a Jewish Yet the response shows the
woman and raising his enthusiasm with which the
Jewish family and "living a program has been met in
true ecumenical existence." Germany."
"The Aktion Suhnen-
This is not to say that ten-
zeichen program,"
sions don't exist. Some
he observes, "which claim that the dialogue
brought over young tends to polarize opinions r
German people to work both sides, especially IA+
on kibutz, and in social the Arab-Israel. conflict
and voluntary work (for brought in to the discussion.
example, with handi-
It would thus appear that
capped children and old problems notwithstanding,
people), was a typical ex- the Jewish and Zionist
pression of this new con- dialogue with Christian
cern about Jews and Is- Germany has developed
rael."
over the past decade or so on
Dr. Krupp himself has both a theoretical and
continued to host German theological level as well as
visitors, students and on a popular and practical
theologians — all of whom level.
have been coming to Israel
It remains to be seen how
in increasing numbers. But much this dialogue will be
more importantly he set up, allowed to flourish and
some three years ago, a whether or not it will be
year-long course for Ger- strong enough to overcome
man trainee-priests who the political expediency so
come to Israel to study Bi- powerful everywhere in our
ble, Hebrew, Talmud and day.

UAHC Planning
Video Library

DENVER — The launch-
ing of a "television library of
Judaism" by the Union of
American Hebrew Congre-
gations was announced by
Rabbi Alexander M. Schin-
dler, president of the 750-
synagogue Reform Jewish
body.
The UAHC "will create a
television library of Jewish
culture, history and religi-
ous practice capable of con-
veying the message of
Judaism to a worldwide au-
dience as well as to
synagogues, classrooms,
camps and Jewish homes,"
Rabbi Schindler said.
The UAHC Video Lib-
rary, he said, would eventu-
ally contain several
thousand selections, rang-
ing from "Jewish Views of
God" to "Great Moments in
North American Jewish
History."

Greece Rejects
Israel Ouster

NEW YORK (ZINS) —
Although the new Greek
government has upgraded
the status of the Palestine
Liberation Organization
office in Athens to a dip-
lomatic mission, it has
sharply rejected a Libyan
suggestion to close the Is-
raeli mission. •
According to one report, a
Libyan diplomat said the Is-
raeli mission is a "nest of
spies and a center for
Zionist terrorism."
Greece is the only Euro-
pean Common Market
Country that does not have
full diplomatic recognition
with Israel.

When desperate ills de-
mand a speedy cure, dis-
trust is cowardice, and pru- •
dence folly.
—Johnson