We were pleased to make the acquaintance of Dieter Burgard, the Commissioner for Jewish Life and Questions of Antisemitism for the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. After a brief presentation of our association, we encountered a motivated, competent and committed commissioner. He holds the office on an honorary basis and will be given a policy adviser and a secretary in January. Among other things, we spoke about aspects of educational work, on which he particularly wishes to concentrate. In our conversation Dieter Burgard stressed that it is not enough to address the subject of antisemitism with a visit to a Jewish memorial site. Proper preparation and follow-up are needed, and pupils have to be given a corresponding awareness. Teachers must be sensitised and trained still better for this subject area. He also emphasised that the curriculum has to have an inclusive effect. Only by portraying active Jewish life can Judaism in Germany and diversity in schools be shown. We were further pleased to hear that Baden-Württemberg has introduced a duty to report antisemitic incidents at schools, and we hope that this will happen nationwide. We thank Mr Burgard for the interesting conversation and look forward to a further meeting.
