2023-06-27 16:17:00
In Berlin on Sunday, June 25, the new Pears Jewish Campus opened. In the entire post-war history of Germany and since the Holocaust, this is the largest center in the country. “A historic event with which we begin a new era of Jewish life in Berlin,” said Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, head of the Berlin Jewish community of the Chabad movement, commented on this significant event.
The ruling mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, who was present at the festive event, noted that Jewish life in the capital is “a great success and a gift.” “We will never let anti-Semitism take over the city streets again,” Wegner said, stressing that places like the campus are important as a powerful signal in the fight against anti-Semitism.
A house open to all
The four-year-long construction of a new cultural and educational center was initiated by Rabbi Yehuda Taichtal and his wife Leah. Financial support was provided by the German federal government, the state of Berlin, business and private sponsors. The €40 million campus was named after the British Pears Foundation.
Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, head of the Berlin Jewish community of the Chabad movement, at the opening of the Pears Jewish Campus on June 25, 2023Photo: Carsten Koall/picture alliance/dpa
The semicircular campus building with a blue facade was designed by Sergey Tchoban. “The rounded, soft shape is attractive, less monumental. And it fits the modern spirit of the concept, which brings people together and welcomes,” the architect’s description reads. The color of the new building represents the sky and the future. And its emphasized openness is expressed in many details, including in protective structures: for example, the structure is not surrounded by a wall, but by a transparent fence made of bulletproof glass.
“We want to ensure a long-term, positive and bright future for Jewish life in Germany,” Teichtal told DW. According to the rabbi, the principle of openness of this house is especially important for him, in which all people are welcome: Jews, Christians, Muslims and those who do not profess any religion.
Kindergarten and cinema, school and gym
seven-storey building Jewish Campus Pears is located in the West Berlin district of Wilmersdorf, on Westfalisch Straße. Its founder said that the campus rests on three pillars – education, culture and sports. The center includes a kindergarten for 200 children, a school for 350 students, a full-fledged sports hall in the upper part of the building, a cinema, a library, a conference room, art and music studios, and a kosher cafe. Yehuda Taichtal looks forward to many meetings in this new center of Jewish life. Visits to Berlin school classes are planned, regardless of their religious orientation. The center is also open for tourists from Germany and abroad. In addition, the campus is considering the possibility of vocational training for a wide variety of target groups. As an example, the rabbi cites training courses organized by the federal police or other institutions that prepare employees for leadership positions. Germany is the third country in the world, after Israel and the United States, in which rabbis appeared in the police. “It’s not just about learning something about the past, but also about asking questions about the present: who are Jews? how do they live? what holidays do they celebrate?” explains the 51-year-old rabbi, who came to capital of Germany from New York 25 years ago.
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