Munich: “WerteInitiative on the ground – discussion round: Enough of words, we demand action. But what action exactly?” On our tour through several German cities we met Jewish-German participants in Munich. We wanted to hear: what precisely are their issues, concerns and proposals for federal politics? What, from the perspective of Jewish Germans, is needed to secure a Jewish future in Germany? Participants felt, for instance, that the portrayal of Jewish life in school textbooks and curricula urgently needs to be revised. What matters here: the many positive contributions of Jews to German society and culture, from the past through to the present, in history, religious education and ethics lessons. In addition, still greater emphasis should be placed on dialogue and intercultural encounter, and investment should be made in them. The frequently unbalanced media coverage of the Middle East conflict worries the participants, as it produces a distorted and incomplete formation of opinion that repeatedly discharges itself directly in antisemitism in this country. We are gathering further concrete points from this and other events in a working paper and will then communicate their content to policymakers. Many thanks for the support of the Europäische Janusz Korczak Akademie, in whose premises we were able to hold the event.
