MELED STUDENTS IN BERLIN FOR CHANUKAH

What will be the atmosphere in the room when 5 students from Meled, an alternative high school in Jerusalem, will meet with peers from Germany and Poland in Berlin during Chanukah?

According to David, one of the participating students, the room will be charged with poignant questions directed to the German and Polish students like "Where were your grandparents when my family was being murdered by the Nazis?" In return, David expects to be asked about Israeli human rights issues in the West Bank and the humanitarian implications of the Security Fence.

The leader of the group from Meled, Yehudit Ganud, agrees that the gathering in Berlin that is being sponsored by the Action Reconciliation Service for Peace of Germany, the Center for Citizen Education of Poland and the Anne Frank Center will be interesting, to say the least. The objective of the trip to Berlin and a subsequent trip to Warsaw in the spring is to promote dialogue surrounding the topic of Righteous Gentiles. "Our kids speak straightforwardly, from their guts and without much care about appropriateness or protocol," Yehudit relates. Meled is a coeducational academically accredited high school for youth from religiously observant backgrounds who have failed or dropped out of the regular educational system.

Dr. Menachem Gottesman, who created Meled over a decade ago as a safety net for struggling teens, says "these kids are beautiful, they'e real and they speak their mind." The 5 students at Meled who were hand-picked for this special project have come to the realization that they will be representing Israel and the Jewish People. These young men and women who have experienced what it feels like to be an "outsider," not fitting in with the regular educational system, feel the full weight of the responsibility of dialogue on behalf of their People. Having been labeled as 'unsuccessful' by the regular educational establishment, they face a unique opportunity to make a significant contribution to society.


Aviya, a 12th grader at Meled, says that dialogue is important to ensure that the horrors of the Holocaust never again happen to humanity, "...but that doesn't mean I have to become friends with the granddaughter of a Nazi. It's important to educate the younger German and Polish generations as to the atrocities of the previous generations, but there is no need for friendship." To further hone in on this point, Yehudit, the Meled faculty member, related that she is mostly interested in deepening the sense of Jewish identity of the 5 Meled participants, and will do so in a manner "that honors the memory of the Jewish victims." Yarden, one of the Meled participants, articulated feelings of an inner conflict that have intensified as the date of departure nears. On the one hand, educational activities regarding the Holocaust with Jewish students are important, but, on the other hand, his participation in the program should not be misconstrued as reconciliation.

Adina, one of the participating students, says that she hopes she can overcome the issues of preconceived notions and opinions. "It won't be easy to talk to a girl who thinks that I look at her as the descendant of a mass murderer. If she thinks that I am coming with the opinion that she has been brought up to be a Jew-hating anti-semite, what will there be to talk about?" Both Adina and Aviya agree that a joint learning process with the German and Polish students about the phenomenon of Righteous Gentiles during the Holocaust will make the discussions easier due to the focus on positive behaviors, but Aviya expressed a concern that the occurrence of Righteous Gentiles could be misrepresented as the norm and not as the exception to the rule.  "It's important to learn about people who were willing to put themselves in danger in order to save others, but it shouldn't be a way to cleanse anyone's consciences."

Part of the preparatory process for the trip included a briefing by a representative from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Meled's students will also be emissaries to the German and Polish students, introducing an authentic Israeli perspective on issues ranging from A to Z (Annapolis to Zahal). Promoting the Israeli viewpoint on the Arab-Israeli conflict, especially in light of the general context of the Holocaust, will be an important goal of the group.

While Yehudit is making the last minute logistical arrangements for the trip, she insists on relating what the real story of the journey is. Sure there are kids who visit Europe on different educational exchange programs, but these programs usually accept kids who have excelled in their studies and have parents who can afford high registration fees. Our kids come from the other side of the spectrum; these are teens who had dropped out of school or were on their way out. There are also financial issues in putting this group together. Some of the participants are extremely limited, not only in their ability to fund the few costs not covered by the sponsors, but are also challenged by the cost of winter clothing for the European climate. The bottom line is that everyone is coming together to make the most of this unique educational opportunity. We're all excited about the trip.

Chag Urim Sameach!

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