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Heart and Soul: German, soldier, Jew

German, soldier, jew

18/08/2023 GMT

German, soldier, Jew

BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, German, soldier, Jew

Confronting the challenges modern Jewish soldiers face serving in the German military

Confronting the challenges modern Jewish soldiers face serving in the German military.

After the horrific role played by the German military in the Holocaust, arguably the last place you would expect to find a Jew would be in the German Armed Forces. And yet it is estimated that today there are around 300 practising Jewish military personnel, and since 2021 they have had their own chaplain, the first chief rabbi – and the first non-Christian - in nearly 90 years.

For many, the creation of a military rabbinate sends a strong message throughout German society that Jews are an integral part of the armed forces and the nation as a whole. Some consider it another step on the road towards Germany coming to terms with its dark past. It comes at a moment when the geopolitical landscape has been shifting, as other European nations are looking to Germany for leadership in the military sphere – especially since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

With the help of serving personnel and the head of the military rabbinate, Shelly Kupferberg explores what it means to be Jewish in today’s German armed forces. Shelly also hears from Michael Fürst, the very first Jew to sign up after World War Two, who is now the president of the association of Jewish communities of Lower Saxony.

Producer: Fiona Clampin
An Overcoat Media production

(Photo: Andras Hecker greeting military personnel. Credit: Andras Hecker)

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