Tikkun olam (Hebrew: תיקון עולם) is a Hebrew phrase that means “repairing the world.” In Judaism, the concept of tikkun olam originated in the early rabbinic period.
Dr. Charlotte Knobloch, whom we met yesterday morning, left a lasting impression within me. She herself is a survivor of the Shoa (or a word better known to Germans … the Holocaust). She told us her story of growing up in a Nazi Germany, how hard it was for her, and how she managed to survive the horrors of that time. AND she said, that today she feels at home in Germany, that she actualy feels German. And this after all the things that Germans did to the Jewish people (and to many onthers) during World War II.
This left me speechless.
Dr. Knobloch mentioned that in her opinion teaching “the young” and encouraging a dialogue that everyone can learn from, is one of the most important things that should happen between Germans and the Jewish people nowadays.
I fully agree.
There are so many things that I have learned during this trip already.
Things aboout current events that are “public knowledge” … if you know where to search.
Things that you would not be aware of, if you only read German media.
Things that shape your opinion. If you are lucky enough to know them.
So … what can we do … what can I do to change that?
When this trip is over, I’ll create a website with the goal to foster opinion exchange between young Jewish and Germans. A website to give answers to questions on the past. But also to give answers to questions of current international affairs.
Dialogue is the only way to understand each other. The only way to tikkun olam.
So I hope that many of my fellow Third Generation Initiative participants will join the discussion.