Members of a Boston-area Jewish-German dialogue group that takes participants on government-sponsored seminars to Germany discussed the topic, "How do Jews and Germans learn from the past?" and highlighted events from all of its trips in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall last Tuesday. Prof. Sabine von Mering (GRAL), along with the Center for German and European Studies organized the event, which featured Jaroslav Szonka, a professor at the Akademie Berlin, and Antje Reichel who is a museumologist from the Prignitz-Museum, which is situated in a former Christian monastery on an island in the center of Havelberg, Germany. Event attendees spanned three generations and included students, professors and Berlin natives who are looking to reconnect with their past through the Jewish-German dialogue group.

Following a six-person government sponsored seminar to Germany in 1993, members and organizers created a Jewish-German dialogue group for the Boston area. The sponsored trips are available solely for the three Jewish-German dialogue groups, von Mering said. The 10-day trips take place every summer depending on funding. The government was originally persuaded to provide funding through the work of a Brandeis graduate who is married to an international consulate.There are three other groups based in Belmont, Newton and Harvard University.

During dialogues, group members share stories about their experiences in Havelberg. They discussed the cultural relevance of Jews today in Germany, and watched presentations about Jewish artifacts and historical sites, such as the one given by Reichel.

"This is one of several groups that exist in the Boston area," said von Mering. "The other groups are private, whereas our group is more open and fluctuating, and we invite everyone to come." The dialogue was conducted in both German and English.

Szonka, who is responsible for organizing the trips, said, "The trips would not have been possible without the help of the German government [and the local people there]." The 10-day trip to Germany includes visits to Berlin, as well as a synagogue, cathedral, Hachshara camp and Jewish cemetery based around Havelberg.

Participants in the dialogue trip found the Hachshara camp particularly interesting. "My parent never talked to me about Hachshara," said Ernie Adler, of Newton, Mass., who attended the last year's trip. "There was always a vacuum. That is my reason for going with the dialogue group: to fill that vacuum. . I was not supposed to know [about Hachshara]. I think people only in recent years have started talking about it."

Reichel, a curator at the Priglitz Museum in Havelberg, presented images from cathedral carvings and stained glass portraying anti-Semetic sentiment stemming as far back as the 13th and 14th centuries. Reichel is the curator for the Jewish-German dialogue group when they visit the Prignitz-Museum. She explains the Jewish significance in the architectural carvings and stained glass in the cathedral they visit.

"I am giving my voice mostly to this sort of seminar to understand myself," said Szonka, who is originally from the Czech Republic. "It's partly a seminar organized for all of us. I am learning from you."

After the formal presentation, attendees broke up to discuss their experiences in Germany. Eddie Cutler, from Framingham, Mass. shared his experience serving in Berlin during World War II with Sarah Brin '08, who went on last year's trip, after the event. He recalls friends dying and Berlin's destruction during his service in 1944. "[During World War II], the only place left standing was the church," said Cutler. He has never returned to Berlin.

"It would be nice for young people to go," said his wife, Phyllis. "I have a friend who said it's one of the safest countries in the world today, for Jewish people. They traveled quite a bit and said it was quite safe. [My husband] should go to Berlin again, 62 years later."

Informal discussion groups included organizers, veterans, participants of the trip and a German student.

Von Mering is encouraging more people to participate in this year's trip because the group can guarantee a seat as early as February, as the German government will allocate money for the trips earlier than usual this year.

Szonka formed a brief answer to the evening's question by saying, "What we have to avoid is the loss of empathy.