Kassel Germany has a Lesson for Us!

By Eli and Jill Rabinowitz

Perth Australia

13 December 2024

Burning The Synagogue

Australians Jill and Eli Rabinowitz visited the site of the Great Synagogue of Kassel Germany in November 2024, where 86 years ago, on 7 November 1938, Kristallnacht, known as Pogromnacht in Germany, began. 

Translation of this plaque

The Synagogue

This is where the Great Synagogue of the Kassel Jewish community stood, completed in 1839 and having 2,301 members in May 1933.

Many had already fled when, on 7 November 1938, activists from the Nazi Party broke into the synagogue and broke open the Torah shrine, setting fire to prayer scrolls and cult objects.

The city administration immediately demolished the intact building in order to build a parking lot there. The community was broken up.

The current synagogue was completed in 2000

With Rabbi Shaul Nekrich of Kassel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kassel_Synagogue

The Holocaust memorial at the Railway Station

The Rail Track of Remembrance

The information board

More info:

http://www.dasdenkmaldergrauenbusse.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=142&Itemid=2

The Stolpersteine for the Oppenheim family in Kassel

Trude and Hans Oppenheim were deported and murdered in Auschwitz in 1944. Daughter Dorrith escaped on the Kindertransport to Scotland in July 1939.

https://www.stolpersteine.eu/en/home

The Jewish Community Centre in Kassel

The Arolsen Archives

https://arolsen-archives.org/en

Meeting Julia and Beate in Hofgeismar

The German language book – In Meiner Tasche

In My Pocket Project educates Australian school children of all backgrounds

https://elirab.au

Jill and Eli Rabinowitz with Tanja Colgan, German teacher Goethe Institute

The Project is a two-hour workshop of a book reading with a creative art activity for upper primary classrooms (Years 5 and 6). The story links with HASS units on civics, migration and refugees. Intercurricular learning opportunities promote values of empathy, kindness and inclusivity in the multicultural classroom.

This project is a stepping stone to the study of the Holocaust, refugees and anti semitism in high school. The project is unique at the primary school level.

The WE ARE HERE! Foundation provides the calico pockets, art materials and paints together with a free mini copy of In My Pocket for each student.

 In My Pocket is Dorrith Sim’s true account of her escape from danger on the Kindertransport. 

The Project is supported by the German Embassy in Canberra and the German Hon Consul in WA.

The German version of the book, In Meiner Tasche, is promoted by the Goethe Institute in Australia.

Zoom/Teams training is available for teachers.

The project was first launched at Jewish Day schools around Australia and South Africa in 2023/4. Since then, it has been successfully extended to state, private, Catholic and Independent schools as well as to public libraries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindertransport

Liverpool Street Station

Liverpool Street Station

Hannah Devenney at the Imperial War Museum, London

London 4 August

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Binnie, Hylton & Karen

 

London IAJGS Conference 2023

30 July – 3 August 2023

Sunday 30 July

The Park Plaza – IAJGS Conference. First In-Person meeting in 4 years!

IAJGS Directors’ Board Meeting 

Some veterans

At the end of the first day!

Back to Northwick Park

Monday 31 July – Day 2 

With Geraldine Auerbach at Northwick Park Tube Station. On our way to the IAJGS conference

At the conference

Presentations

Our CHOL presentation

 

The Presentation

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1f4XMXhkeA2IqG7gqWmrOyIBp12SetsDN/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102562430616047740404&rtpof=true&sd=true

On our way home!

Monday 1 August – Day 2

Meryl Frank’s presentation

My second presentation

Resources for the presentation:

Meeting Stephen Smith & Bea Lewkowicz

 

Perth March 2014:

Today in Perth started off with morning tea at the State Library of Western Australia with my mining experts, historian Lenore Layman, Richard Hartley (who just completed “Westralian Founders of 20th Century Mining,”) and Peta Chappelle, whose PhD thesis on “Merton’s Reward” explored the involvement of Charles Kaufman (Ken’s Baden-born great great uncle) in the Western Australian mining boom in the 1890s. They brought me the kinds of goodies genealogists love & suggested new avenues of research. Thanks to Michelle Urban from the local JGS for arranging this & providing lunch with the effervescent Eli Rabinowitz followed by a tour of Perth.

 

Tuesday 2 August – Day 3

Crossing Westminster Bridge

Meeting Laura Konviser

Enjoying the London weather!

The 4th and final day – 3 August

The Imperial War Museum,  Lambeth

Back to the Park Plaza for the end of the conference

Back to Northwick Park

 

 

 

 

Glasgow – Edinburgh

28 July 2023

Wonderful meeting Shula and Philip Spain

Tea at John Lewis

At the Queen Street Station

On the train to Edinburgh – beautiful scenery.

Edinburgh Waverley 

The walk to Edinburgh Castle. 

 

The Royal Mile continued

Continued …

The walk back to the Ardmillan hotel

Glasgow Scotland

27 July 2023

Meeting Susan Hodgins, Dorrith Sim’s daughter. We walk up the road to the Garnethill Synagogue.

Meeting Harvey Kaplan, Director of the Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre

 

Meeting Deborah Haase, the educator

 

Lunch with Steven Anson of Gathering The Voices

 

Walk to down to the city

 

Buying my ticket for travel to Edinburgh

Meeting David Sim

 

 

Back to the Easy Hotel

 

 

Israel – Glasgow

26 July 2023

Kiryat Malachi – goodbye to Sorrel for now!

On the way to Ben Gurion

 

Farewell to Eytan

BA to London then Glasgow

First time in Scotland

 

Ray’s 22nd Yahrzeit

Ray (Raele) Zeldin Rabinowitz’s 22nd Yahrzeit  is on 4th Av

Audio Player

Ra’anana Israel 22 July 2023

For Mamele on Facebook:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1apa14aHbWWxg3hNaVAy3wJqHyMR-wKHt/view?usp=sharing

Momele by Cantor Yanky Lemmer

Ray was born on 11 May 1919 in Dvinsk, now Daugavpils, Latvia.

She passed away on 24 July 2001 in Cape Town, South Africa

Ray passed away on 24 July 2001.

The last photo

Ray’s 21st Yahrzeit

Ray (Raele) Zeldin Rabinowitz’s 21st Yahrzeit  was on 4th Av

Audio Player

For Mamele on Facebook:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1apa14aHbWWxg3hNaVAy3wJqHyMR-wKHt/view?usp=sharing

Momele by Cantor Yanky Lemmer

Ray was born on 11 May 1919 in Dvinsk, now Daugavpils, Latvia.

She passed away on 24 July 2001 in Cape Town, South Africa

Ray passed away on 24 July 2001.

The last photo

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