Winter 1999-00

BERLIN, GERMANY

Lauder Jüdisches Lehrhaus Opened in Berlin Germany - October 10,1999
On October 10, 1999, the dedication of the Lauder Jüdisches Lehrhaus began with the sweet sound of a solo clarinet. A flute joined in and was followed by a string quintet; soon all that could be heard was a soft, beautiful melody, composed especially for the occasion by a member of the Berlin Jewish Community, Ari Benjamin Meyers, in honor of Ronald S. Lauder.

Many well-known figures spoke at the opening, including the Federal Commissioner for the Files of the State Security, Joachim Gauck; the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Eberhard Diepgen; the Chairman of the Berlin Jewish Community, Andreas Nachama; and the acting President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Paul Spiegel, who described the Lehrhaus as "a gift for future generations."

The Lauder Jüdisches Lehrhaus, a center for Jewish learning and living, is adjacent to the Rykestrasse Synagogue, one of only two synagogues in Berlin to have survived Kristallnacht intact. In 1941, the Nazis shut down the Berlin Jewish Community's religious school, located in the very same building now housing the Lehrhaus, and deported its students and teachers to the death camps.

The Lehrhaus comprises three units: a teacher resource center, an adult education institute, and a Beit Midrash program for students engaged in both intensive study and outreach projects. In addition to offices and classrooms, there is a dormitory for students, a small apartment for guest professors, and a kosher dining room.

The Lehrhaus seeks to create a new generation of educators to reach out to the more than 70,000 Russian Jews now living in eighty communities throughout Germany. With their arrival, Germany's Jewish population has tripled in the last decade, making it the fastest growing in Europe.

The Lehrhaus' impact will reach well beyond its historic walls. Through seminars and programs led by its own students in communities across the country, the Lehrhaus will contribute directly to the enrichment of Jewish life throughout Germany. According to Ronald S. Lauder, "The Lehrhaus serves as a symbol of the remarkable resilience of the Jewish people. The flickering Jewish flame in Germany is once again being fanned into life."

The B'nai B'rith Lodge Honors Ronald S. Lauder
On October 9, 1999, the B'nai B'rith Lodge in Berlin honored Ronald S. Lauder with the Raoul Wallenberg Prize for extraordinary human service.

In a very poignant Laudatio in honor of Ronald S. Lauder, German designer and philanthropist, Wolfgang Joop, praised Lauder for his success in bringing about the renaissance of Jewish life in Central and Eastern Europe. In his closing remarks, Joop referred to his favorite line sung by Marlene Dietrich in the film A Foreign Affair: "In the ruins of Berlin, the trees are blossoming again. Thank you Ronald Lauder."