Presenting Jewish life as an integral part of German and European culture is the aim of the Intercultural Jewish Studies Centre. In this interview, Chair Andrea Strübind talks about the co-operation with the Jewish community - and how anti-Semitism can be countered in society.
Ms Strübind, people in Oldenburg and across Germany are currently celebrating 1700 years of Jewish life in Germany - also to counter the rise of anti-Semitism. As a theologian, how do you view anti-Semitism in Germany?
Unfortunately, anti-Semitism is latently anchored in our society - also due to the Christian tradition. There is a millennia-old hostility towards Jews that has been decisively shaped by the Christian churches. It was only after the Shoah that the churches and theology began to revise their own teachings and develop a different image of Judaism. In the second half of the 20th century, the Jewish-Christian dialogue led to a profound redefinition of the relationship to Judaism in all denominations. However, many anti-Semitic stereotypes are so deeply rooted that there only needs to be a current political occasion for them to resurface. One current example is widespread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories on social media. In some milieus and musical subcultures, age-old anti-Semitic stereotypes that often originated in the Middle Ages are being rehashed. And during the recent resurgence of the Middle East conflict, we have even seen anti-Semitic violence in front of synagogues. I find that depressing.
How can we as a society tackle this problem?
For example, by reporting and educating people about how hatred of Jews and anti-Semitism arose in history. But we shouldn't just talk. Encounters with Jewish people are also important. Because it is often only through encounters that we realise the terrible consequences that latent anti-Semitism can have in our society. I experienced this personally, for example, when I was a guest in the Jewish community in Oldenburg at the Feast of Tabernacles one day after the attack in Halle. The atmosphere there was oppressive and the community was under increased police protection. It was good that the Lord Mayor was also present and expressed his solidarity.
You have been cooperating with the Jewish community in Oldenburg for a long time...
Yes, we have been cooperating very closely with the Leo Trepp Teaching Centre of the Jewish Community of Oldenburg for 10 years now - and thus facilitate encounters on many different levels. Among other things, we jointly organise a series of public lectures every year. This is a series in which mostly Jewish scholars from all over the world provide different perspectives on Jewish history, religion and culture. Through the lecture series, we also want to sensitise the public to Jewish life in Oldenburg and draw attention to the contribution of Judaism to European and German culture. As part of Jewish Studies, we also organise seminars with the Oldenburg rabbi Alina Treiger and give our students the opportunity to complete an internship in Jewish institutions.
Students have now been able to study Jewish Studies at the University of Oldenburg for more than 25 years. An anniversary that you will be celebrating on 4 July. What is special about this programme?
From the very beginning, the Jewish Studies programme in cultural studies and the humanities was interdisciplinary and included lecturers from the subjects of Protestant theology, history and philosophy. The focus was on presenting Jewish history and religion as an integral part of German and European history and culture. We also want to train our students to become cultural mediators between Jewish and Christian traditions and also in relation to Islam. Our times are characterised by highly polarised debates - for example on migration or the conflict-ridden disputes in the Middle East - and the rise of anti-Semitism. Fundamental interreligious and intercultural education, especially for teachers, is therefore particularly important.
Jewish Studies was originally founded as a Master's minor subject. How did this come about?
The programme was founded on the initiative of the then President of the University, Michael Daxner. The programme was not intended as a typical Jewish Studies course and was initially located in the social sciences. Professor Daxner set up the Jewish Studies programme together with a large group of colleagues on an interdisciplinary basis. The course focussed on the 19th and 20th centuries. The initiators of the degree programme saw it as an educational and political task to counteract anti-Semitism. This is still the case today: we bring together courses from different subjects. We offer an important supplement for those who want to learn about history, religion, culture and its impact as well as Judaism in contemporary German society. This also includes dealing with anti-Semitism and its historical roots. This is an enrichment for everyone - including students from completely different degree programmes, for example in the natural sciences.
What does the degree programme look like today?
As part of the Bologna reform, the original Master's minor in Jewish Studies was discontinued. However, the Jewish Studies department at the university wanted to integrate Jewish Studies into the modularised degree programme so that it could continue to be studied. Together with my colleague Dagmar Freist from the Institute of History and in close consultation with the then Chair of the Jewish Community of Oldenburg, Sara-Ruth Schumann, we concluded a cooperation agreement with the Leo Trepp Teaching House in 2011 and introduced the Master's certificate programme "Intercultural Jewish Studies", which was aimed at students of history, philosophy and theology. The certificate made it possible for humanities students to gain an additional qualification for their later work in the non-academic field, for example in museums, journalism or publishing.
Since the 2020/21 winter semester, we have continued the "Jewish Studies" in the broader professionalisation programme "Transcultural Interreligious Studies". It builds on the existing Jewish Studies programme and expands the range on offer. Planning for the Master's programme is currently underway. The "Transcultural Interreligious Studies" programme teaches basic knowledge of Jewish, Christian and Islamic religion and culture as well as interreligious education. This basic knowledge is also closely linked to the study of the interdependence of Jewish, Christian and Muslim ways of life and theologies. With this programme, we gain new perspectives and reach more students - also because we offer it across faculties. For example, we also have students from chemistry and economics. There is obviously a need to gain fundamental knowledge about religions, their cultural history and interreligious dialogue.
What are your hopes for the future?
I hope that the new Bachelor's programme "Transcultural Studies" will continue to be popular, so that students beyond the humanities can add a new facet to their studies. And, of course, we would like to continue our successful collaboration with the Leo Trepp Teaching Centre. It would also be desirable if there were a professorship for Jewish Studies to enhance the programme and anchor it permanently in university life.
Interview: Constanze Böttcher
