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Serving the Community for 34 Years

FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 1991

The Bern Synagogue

VALUES TO $69.00

EVERGREEN PLAZA
559-3580
Southfield

tion of Jews eating children.
We've been acused of many
things — but not of that."
The rabbi heads Bern's
Jewish congregation, a small
group of 300 families in a ci-
ty of 134,000. And a visit to
their synagogue and com-
munity center is also of in-
terest to the Jewish traveler,
for this small congregation
turns out to be active and
very open to visitors.
The synagogue, which is
marked on city tourist maps,
is a corner bulding on Kap-
pelstrasse, with a Star of
David prominent in its win-
dow. Next door to the sanc-
tuary is the community
center bulding, with offices, a
social hall, a room for lectures
and concerts and classrooms.
"The Jewish community
was founded 150 years ago by
Alsatian Jews who were very
assimilated," says the rabbi.
"But slowly, it's developed in-
to a very active Jewish com-
munity."
And though it's small, it's
one of the key German-
speaking Jewish congrega-
tions in Switzerland. The rab-
bi, who grew up in Berlin and
came to Bern in 1979, is
especially aware of that
aspect of his congregation's
identity.
"Swiss Jews have been very
much integrated into
Switzerland, but there's also
a movement now to unify the
interests of German-speaking
Jews," says the rabbi, who
grew up in Berlin and now
travels by train to Heidelberg
where he's a visiting lecturer
in the School of Jewish
Studies there.
"Though I didn't want to be
a rabbi in Germany, I do have

a desire to serve German-
speaking Jews because there
are very few German-
speaking rabbis around," ex-
plains Rabbi Marcus, who
was ordained in London and
speaks fluent English and
French as well as German.
"And so Bern is a beautiful
compromise for me."
He leads a busy life as a
rabbi of the one congregation
in the capital city. He serves
as vice-chairman of the Bern
chapter of the Jewish-
Christian Friendship League
and co-chairman of a
Christian-Jewish dialogue
group, teaches courses in
Judaism at the University of
Bern and often gives tours to
the many non-Jewish groups
who visit Bern's only
synagogue. "We give tours
almost every week," says the
rabbi." And we encourage
visitors to ask questions."
Cantor Jose Kaufman is
kept equally busy. He came
here from Buenos Aires in
1975 when a colleague from
Argentina who has resettled
in Lugano, Switzerland, told
him about the position in
Bern. He was well suited for
the post, not only because of
his cantorial skills but also
his fluent German. He learn-
ed the language from his
parents, who had fled Ger-
many and found refuge in
Argentina.
As Bern's only cantor, he
not only sings in every ser-
vice, but also teaches bar
mitzvah students and often
conducts tours of the
synagogue for visitors.
Though he's a long way
from Buenos Aires, the cantor
says he's found a new home in
the Swiss capital. ❑