Ich bin nicht klassisch in die Bundesebene der DPSG hinein gewachsen und ich habe die verbandliche Entwicklung der vergangenen zwei Jahre von außen betrachtet. Das mindert meine Begeisterung für unsere DPSG nicht. Ich erlebe, wie Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen füreinander Verantwortung übernehmen, sich fortbilden, wie sich unser Verband für Pluralität einsetzt, Menschen unterschiedlicher Herkunft gemeinsam eine Heimat ist, wir uns in Gesellschaft und Kirche einmischen und dabei Anwälte für Kinder, Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene sind. Ich bin hoch motiviert mich mit euch, die ihr euch für eine bessere Welt engagiert, in der DPSG starkzumachen. Ich bringe einen frischen Blick von außen mit. [weiterlesen]

Just a few weeks ago I participated in a conference on Jewish, Christian and Muslim dialogue. The conference offered insights into the religious and secular life of people of different origins. Although it took place in Germany, the participants came from England, Germany, Syria and Israel.

I arrived on Monday afternoon, just in time for the introduction to the conference. While this event seemed rather long, I realized that the new impressions were quickly piling up. Never before have I met people like this group. They seem to be the embodiment of the wonderful freedom that is possible in modern European society. The individuals cared about each other. They were interested in learning from each other. They were open to talk about their way of life. They were all smiling.

This was the 39th International Student Conference for Dialogue between Jews, Christians and Muslims. The conference is funded by the Ministry of the Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its working theme was: “Young, Gifted and Religious: What do we expect from our tradition and our society?”
While the day of the arrival was dedicated to intra-faith meetings, nearly the whole time until Sunday afternoon was devoted to inter-religious and aha experiences.

Every day of the week began with a joint breakfast at 8 am. From Tuesday to Thursday short meditations were offered. They were organized in turn by Jews, Christians or Muslims. Friday’s meditation was special: it was a joint meditation with content from all three religions.

The JCM conference is based on an academic approach: three young, gifted and religious women, one from each religion, were invited to lecture on the theme of the conference. The women were in their twenties. Their lectures told us about their lives, their religious development, their experiences, their perspectives and dreams.

Adjoining the lectures, the conference aims at formal and informal exchange between all participants, starting at the breakfast table, following through the day at various meetings such as: spiritual meditations, buzz groups, plenary times, inter-religious discussion groups, lunch, tea and coffee breaks, project groups, dinner, meet-the-speaker times, speakers’ corner and graduate seminar evenings.

On Thursday afternoon the program changed significantly: I joined an inter-religious group that visited a mosque in Solingen. The evening program was different too. The JCM conference celebrated “Dhikr”. Continuing in the Muslim rite we celebrated the “Salat-al-Juma“, the Friday prayer, after lunch on Friday.

On Friday evening we continued to celebrate in the Jewish tradition. We were introduced to the ceremony of lighting the candle, which was followed by the Shabbat Service, then the “Kiddush” and concluded with the “Oneg Shabbat”. Saturday started with the Shabbat Service, continued with a public forum where the participants were once more invited to elaborate on their thoughts on the theme of the conference and its inputs, and ended with the “Havdalah” and the farewell evening of this year’s 39th JCM conference.

The JCM conference continued on Sunday morning with the Christian service, followed by a last round of the inter-religious discussion groups, and ended with the closing session at 3 pm.

This conference was amazing, motivating and refreshing! I met people from whom I never would have expected so much openness and friendliness. I met women and men whose views I never would have expected to learn about.

These people showed that peace is possible among us all. I am looking forward to this kind of life. I want to engage in striving to make our world a better place.

I sincerely hope that I can join the next conference:
40th anniversary JCM conference: 4-10 Mar 2013

JCM Partners in Dialogue

Nein, wahrhaftig ist er ein guter Prediger. Es hat mir sehr gut getan ihn zu treffen, ihm zu zuhören und mich darauf zu freuen ihn in Taizé im Sommer 2012 wieder zu treffen. Gestern las er uns aus der Bibel über die Seligpreisung vor (Matthäus 5, 1-12). Er erzählte uns, dass dies eine der Lieblingsstellen von Bruder Roger, dem Gründer von Taizé, [weiterlesen]

It was not that I came to late to the memorial service at the German War Cemetery, but instead of attending I left the ceremony after only a few minutes of listening. It was not that I did not like the speech and the music that I listened to. I felt misplaced.

Today, the German Embassy of Tel Aviv held the annual memorial service at the German War Cemetery in Nazareth. I arrived at the cemetery and followed the instructions of the friendly guard to enter to the memorial site. When I climbed up the stairs I stopped in the middle: the music ensemble was playing just at the top of the stairs. I peaked over the rim of the wall and saw only a hand-full of people sitting on wooden chairs. A German Military Attaché fixed his eyes onto mine. It was that moment, during which I decided to walk back down and to look at the grave stones. The “Bläserensemble Riesa” was playing “Träumerei” (Robert Schumann). I was standing underneath the memorial site, next to the grave stones of German and Italian women and I was listening to the religious speech of Provost Dr. Uwe Gräbe (Church of the Redeemer Jerusalem). I don´t recall what he said and yet I felt misplaced in just this moment.

I felt confused and detached and lonely. I felt reluctant and uncomfortable.

I waited until the next piece of music played and left the cemetery. While walking away and towards my car I wondered who would remember me, if I once died in Israel. Is it not my duty also to commemorate the Germans who fell here in Palestine and are now buried in Israel? I should not question why they came to fight a war. For sure people question why I work in Israel. Will people say: it is his own fault? Are we all alike – the ones that came to fight at war and us, that came to support the civil society? Sitting in my car, driving towards my home, I thought about how I commemorate.

It is mostly in my silent prayers that I remember my dead family members and friends. I don´t talk with them or their souls. I talk to God and ask him to make sure that they are well. I commemorate them by not forgetting them. Some times I wonder how it would be with them, if they would still be alive, but at most times I plainly think of them.

Sitting here at home, tipping my thoughts, I wonder why I felt confused, detached and lonely. I know I felt reluctant and uncomfortable because I was to late. I did not want to stick out of the crowd and climb up the stairs, walk past the ensemble and blend into a crowd of Military Attachés that I don´t belong to. I felt strongly detached, because I am only weakly connected to war. I thought I don´t belong onto this cemetery between these German and Italian grave stones either. Yes, it is right to remember! – It is important to commemorate, but it is also important to be honest to your self and to those that you are commemorating. I believe that the writing of my thoughts is of greater duty. My thoughts are honest.

Nein, ich habe nicht aufgehört zu erleben. Ich habe sehr viel erlebt, mal allein, mal zu zweit und ganz viel zusammen mit mehreren. Ich hatte eine Vielzahl an Tagen an denen es mir richtig langweilig war, dann richtig schlecht, so schlecht wie lange nicht mehr und dann erging es mir auch indifferent, es ging mir gut und sehr gut. [weiterlesen]

The World Scout Bureau explains scouting in its pamphlet “28 million young people are changing the world”:

Scouting is a global force that takes action also at an international level. It is a leading global movement for advocacy [read more]

It was just at the end of my lunch, when a friend of mine came rushing into the bistro, telling us about an incident in southern Israel. Quickly we turned to the television and tried to get detailed news about what had happened. That was not easy. After a phone call to Anica, I decided that the incident was not so bad and returned to my office. I have so many things that have to be done.

But my curiosity drove me to Haaretz.com. There I received the following information:

Five people were killed and dozens were wounded Thursday in a series of terrorist attacks on Israeli targets approximately 20 kilometers north of the southern city of Eilat, close to the border with Egypt. [...] Simultaneously, an anti-tank missile was fired from Egypt on a private vehicle, and several mortar shells were also fired into Israel. [...] According to reports, the terrorists in the car opened fire at the Egged bus, which carried a significant number of soldiers leaving their bases for the weekend. [...] The IDF Spokesman reported that two to four terrorists were killed during the clashes. (source: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/five-killed-in-series-of-terrorist-attacks-in-southern-israel-1.379309 date: 18.08.2011, 15:46)

That is terrible! There is no question about that.

What makes me afraid though is the degree of my emotional blunting during my 15-month stay in Israel. At first I took in the message with alertness, then I directly reduced it to “shit happens” and carried on with my daily tasks. At present I am not nervous or afraid. I don’t feel sad, irritated, alarmed, disturbed or hostile. I don’t feel shocked.

But more than five people died; many were injured! I guess the number of dead attackers is not included in the five. They are dead! Their families must be going insane!

I’d prefer to reduce my blunt detachment, at least to a natural level, where being shocked and feeling sorrowful are still normal reactions.

Meine Reisegruppe sprach an den Abenden unserer 2-tägigen Anreise von vielen Differenzen, die sie mit Palästinensischen Pfadfindern hätten. Einige benutzten harte Worte. [...] Ihrer Meinung nach sind alle Palästinenser Muslime. Ihre Meinungsbildung fußt auf dem was ihre Familie und ihr Lebensumfeld möglich machen. Dabei erleben sie täglich Konflikte zwischen Christen und Muslimen. [...] In Taizé realisierte meine Reisegruppe, dass sie eine Arabische Minderheit darstellten. [...] Dann geschah es: zwei Gruppen fanden sich, gepaart durch Sprache und Religion. [weiter lesen]