- Before we begin a conversation on a topic that is so relevant today both for the Jewish diaspora in Germany and for Jews from the former Soviet republics who are planning to immigrate to the Federal Republic of Germany, I would like to briefly outline the basic principles of the Movement for Progressive Judaism. This will help the reader better understand the position taken by the Union of Progressive Jewish Communities in connection with the changed rules for admitting Jewish emigrants, - began the conversation Margarita Suslovich.
Since Judaism was restricted by the laws of Halakha, the opinion has arisen that its entire essence is reduced exclusively to observing the requirements of the set of religious precepts and commandments. And this despite the fact that an essential feature of Judaism has always been a sensitive response to the demands of new generations and the ability to adapt to constantly changing conditions of Jewish life - from the exile of the people to freedom and again to exile, from the independence of the Jews to enslavement, then to rebellion, from wealth to poverty and again to prosperity.
The Movement for Progressive Judaism (also called liberal or Reform Judaism) not only does not break away from its historical roots, but is a continuation of the principles of Jewish culture that preceded the dogmatization of Judaism through the compilation of the Shulchan Arukh (recently published in Russian in Moscow, this medieval monument of Jewish writing caused a surge of anti-Semitism in Russia). The Movement opposes any demand for unconditional observance of religious commandments. For example, the observance of kashrut (in the narrow sense, the word "kashrut" means the set of laws about food permitted and forbidden by the Torah; at the same time, the concept "kosher" - "clean", "correct", "suitable" - can apply to any thing or phenomenon if it corresponds to religious laws - Halakha). So, in Progressive Judaism, someone may strictly observe the precepts of kashrut, while others consider them outdated. Some observe Shabbat, while others seek their own approach to the concept of the holiness of the Sabbath, etc. The same principle applies to personal and family life. As for life in society as a whole and in the community in particular, here the members of the Movement try to show maximum mutual tolerance so as not to disturb others' family peace and the normal functioning of the community.
Within traditional Judaism, it is quite simple for a person to act, since all commandments are predetermined for him, and if any doubts arise, one can always turn to the rabbinate and get a ready-made solution. The difficulty lies in the meticulous observance of the commandments. Progressive Judaism is also based on commandments, but instead of their scrupulous analysis, principles and criteria for life choices are offered. A Reform Jew must first of all listen to the voice of his own conscience and only then decide which commandments to observe and how. Only in this case, as we believe, will the observance of commandments be conscious and therefore effective. In traditional Judaism, it is easy to decide but hard to observe. In Progressive Judaism, it is easier to observe but hard to choose.
Just as there is no mandatory unity of opinion among members of the Movement and its communities, there is also no single doctrine for Reform Jews living in Israel and in the Diaspora. These differences concern mainly kashrut, personal rights, and issues of conversion to Judaism (giyur). But even in resolving these issues, the determining factors are respect for one's neighbor and mutual tolerance.
- Under the new rules, everyone who has applied for immigration on the Jewish line must also provide confirmation of the possibility of his admission to one of the Jewish communities in Germany. But what confirmation can a person who is considered Jewish only on the father's side count on?
- People whose Jewish origin is confirmed only on the father's side will be given the opportunity to undergo giyur. In a statement made following the conference in Stuttgart, the president of the Union of Progressive Jewish Communities in Germany, Dr. Jan Mühlstein, said in particular: "We will ensure the successful integration of Jews on the father's side into liberal Jewish communities by creating a facilitated admission to Judaism for them."
This in no way means that the giyur procedure will be reduced to an empty formality. The requirements for giyur set by the Council of Progressive Rabbis largely coincide with those followed by rabbis of traditional communities. But our attention will be paid mainly to the person's assimilation of the spiritual values of Judaism and his fulfillment of the basic commandments.
- At what stage - before or after immigration to Germany - will it be possible to undergo giyur?
- Most likely, future immigrants will be able to undergo giyur in those liberal Jewish communities in their countries of current residence with which the board of our Union will conclude relevant agreements. And although this is still only in the plans, specific work in this direction will be started by us in the near future.
- What level of German language proficiency will an immigration candidate need to have?
- If at the December (2004) conference of the interior ministers of the Federal Republic of Germany it was proposed to establish a level corresponding to the requirements of the Startdeutsch-II certificate, then at the current conference in Stuttgart it was finally agreed that level A1, that is, a lower one, would suffice. Mastering the German language to that extent is quite possible even for elderly people. And some categories will be completely exempted from taking the language test - for example, victims of National Socialism, people immigrating under family reunification. Other categories of persons who will not need to take the test are also envisaged. The criteria have not yet been worked out; this will be done by a commission that will include representatives of the Federal Office for Foreigners, the state interior ministries, the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and our Union.
- How would you comment on the new admission conditions with regard to the so-called favorable social and integration prognosis for a potential immigrant?
- This condition still requires detailed elaboration, which the aforementioned commission will also undertake. As Dr. Jan Mühlstein noted in his statement, "The Union of Progressive Jews will pay special attention to the commission's development of criteria for a prognosis of independent livelihood and integration of immigrants, including criteria for so-called special cases. Today it is indisputable that immigration documents submitted to the German consulates in the republics of the former USSR before June 30, 2001, will be considered by German authorities under the old rules. And in this connection, I would like to clarify another important circumstance. Under the old rules, those people from the former Soviet republics who had already been granted a decision on their admission to Germany before December 31, 2004, and who submitted documents to the consulates for entry visas, will also be able to receive visas to enter Germany as Jewish immigrants. It is known that in many cases, due to organizational ambiguities that have now been eliminated by the decision of the Stuttgart conference, these visas were not issued to them. Now they will be able to receive them.
- The new rules come into force only on July 1, 2006. Does this mean that new immigration applications to Germany can be submitted only from that date?
- No, applications with all the documents required under the new rules can be submitted without waiting for July of next year. Since the Stuttgart conference made a fundamental decision, theoretically the consulates will be able to begin accepting applications in the near future. But people still need to prepare for the language test. So it is unlikely that queues will form at the consulates right now. Another matter is the order and timeframe in which applications submitted after June 30, 2001 (and there are thousands of them) will be considered. Some of them will probably fall into the category of family reunification. But then, most likely, additional documents will be required. And some may fall under the category of special cases, the criteria for which have not yet been developed. All this requires detailed study. There will also be more work for us - many cases are under review.
- It is known that your community in Hanover is quite large. How many young people are among its members?
- In total, the liberal Jewish community in Hanover has more than 450 members, of which about a third are children and young people, most of them from immigrant families from the former USSR. There are groups for preschoolers and younger schoolchildren. There are groups where boys and girls are prepared for Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah (the Hebrew translation means "son of the commandment" and "daughter of the commandment" - ancient solemn celebrations that mark the transition of a teenager into the world of adults). About 20 people - older schoolchildren and students - are united in a youth club. The young people are very friendly and spend a lot of free time together. All our community activities are aimed at teaching Jewish traditions and fostering a sense of Jewish identity. Take the youth club: here it is Friday, evening prayer. The core of the club comes to the beginning, others may be a little late. And after that they hold some pre-planned event of their own, for which they prepare, to which they can invite interesting people, and when it is over, they go together, say, to a disco. And this has already become a tradition for them. Not the disco - the tradition for them has become spending free time together under the auspices of Judaism. And the future of our communities lies with the youth - in particular, with the youth from the former USSR.
As Dr. Jan Mühlstein noted in the aforementioned statement, "Jewish immigrants from the former USSR will continue to find acceptance in Germany and will contribute to the strengthening of the local Jewish community. This is guaranteed by the new immigration rules agreed upon by the federal and state interior ministers on the one hand, and the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Union of Progressive Jews in Germany on the other. Thereby the Federal Republic of Germany confirms its historical responsibility. The Union of Progressive Jews in Germany, as part of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, is inextricably linked with Jewish communities both in the former USSR and in Israel. Therefore, we do not see Jewish immigration to Germany as competition with aliyah (immigration to Israel). We respect the individual decision of every Jewish woman and every Jewish man to remain in the republics of the former USSR or, in view of the threat of anti-Semitism, to seek a country of refuge in Germany.