Teaching Jewish history in post-war Germany January 2006 Dr. Uri Kaufmann, Germany Originally from Switzerland, Uri taught Jewish history for many years at the Heidelberg Institute for Jewish Studies (Germany) and made major contributions to the permanent exhibition at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. He is now working as a freelance historian, and is a member of the Heidelberg community which embraces all religious views ("Einheitsgemeinde") and a long-distance member of the Jewish Liberal Community of Zurich Or Chadasch. He was a Nahum Goldmann Fellow in 1987. Currently involved in preparing a book on the fight of Jews of Baden, Switzerland and Alsace (1808-1870) for equal rights, and in collecting and preparing teaching material for the religious education of German Jewish children in Baden-Württemberg, Uri writes to us about his work on behalf of the German educational system.

I am involved in drawing an educational unit on German-Jewish history of the 19th century for general teaching classes at German gymnasia (high schools). This may also be a way to better educate Jewish pupils since more than 50% (!) of all Jewish children in e.g. Baden-Württemberg do not have religious lessons at all.

This project is supported by the pedagogical commission of the Leo Baeck Institute, which is based at the Jewish Museum of Frankfurt. This commission, an extension of New York's Leo Baeck Institute archives in the Jewish Museum Berlin, promotes the furthering of knowledge of Jewish history in the general school curricula in Germany.

The unit focuses on Gabriel Riesser (1806-1864), the main spokesman for emancipation between 1830 and 1848. He was member of the (short-lived) German Parliament of the Paulskirche (1848/49), in the framework of which he contributed to the design of a liberal constitution for Germany, and also served as Vice-President.

On August 28, 1848 Riesser made his famous speech in favour of emancipation of the Jews in the Paulskirche parliament. Riesser was thus organically active in both Jewish and general civic matters. Although the German princes dissolved this parliament in 1849, it was a cornerstone for democratic development.

Learn more about Gabriel Riesser