Abraham-Geiger-Kolleg

52.402°N 13.011°E / 52.402; 13.011 Abraham Geiger Kolleg is a rabbinic seminary at the University of Potsdam in Potsdam, Germany.

History

Abraham Geiger Kolleg was founded 1999 as the only seminary in Germany since the Holocaust, when the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums in Berlin was shut down by the Gestapo. The college is named after Abraham Geiger (1810–1874), a German Reform-oriented rabbi and scholar, and is managed by the Rabbis Walter Jacob and Walter Homolka. In 2009, the college ordained Juval Porat as a cantor; he is the first person to be trained as a cantor in Germany since the Holocaust.[1][2] In November 2010, the college ordained Alina Treiger, who is the first female rabbi to be ordained in Germany since World War II.[3][4][5][6] Her ordination was held at Berlin's Pestalozzistrasse Synagogue, and attended by Christian Wulff, then president of Germany, and Jewish leaders from around the world.[4][7] In 2011 the college ordained Antje Deusel, who is the first German-born woman to be ordained as a rabbi in Germany since the Nazi era.[8][9]

In October 2022, the abuse of power from Homolka was confirmed by an independent commission. Sexual harassment could "not be demonstrably confirmed". However, there had been "encounters in the pool and sauna". Specifically, an "exploitation of institutional power and dependency relationships" was confirmed. Decisions had been made "which had a very negative influence on the further life and career of the persons concerned and for which responsibility was attributed to Mr Homolka personally due to the abundance of his direct and indirect possibilities of influence". Mr. Homolka is said to have been the cause of a "climate of fear". Employees were put under pressure to provide private services for their superiors even on weekends, e.g. to prepare their tax returns. The responsible director and CEO of the college, Walter Homolka, was given leave of absence. His spouse has not been employed since February 2022.[10]

Organizational integration

In 2001, Abraham-Geiger-Kolleg joined the World Union for Progressive Judaism and in 2005, the examinees received accreditation towards the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The first generation of ordained rabbis – Daniel Alter, Tomáš Kučera and Malcolm Mattitiani – left the Kolleg in 2006. Daniel Alter is caring for the Jewish community in Oldenburg, and Tomáš Kučera leads Beth Shalom, a Reform Jewish community in Munich. Malcolm Mattitiani returned to South Africa to lead the Temple of Israel Congregation in Kapstadt.[11]

The five-year long studies take place in conjunction with the Kollegium Jüdische Studien, and upon completion, the examinees receive the title of Magister in Jüdischen Studien. The Kolleg is part of Universität Potsdam, funded by the German government, the Central Council of Jews in Germany, the state of Brandenburg and the Potsdam Leo Baeck Foundation. The founding principal of the Kolleg is Rabbi Professor Dres. Allen Podet, who came from State University College at Buffalo to take the post and served from 2001 to 2002.

Abraham-Geiger-Preis

The Abraham-Geiger-Kolleg dedicates a biannual prize for Verdienste um das Judentum in seiner Vielfalt or, service to Jewish cultural diversity. Laureates:

Emil Fackenheim lecture

Famous and outstanding representatives of Jewish studies are invited as guest lecturers.

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Fellows at Abraham Geiger Kolleg

Rabbi Dr Dalia Marx, Rabbi Dr Yehoyada Amir, Rabbi Dr Samuel K. Joseph and Rabbi Dr Reuven Firestone are members of the HUC-JIR faculty. They visit Berlin and teach at the Kolleg for four weeks. Rabbis Marx and Joseph have participated twice in this program.

Alumni

Rabbis
  • Lior Bar-Ami
  • Nils Ederberg
  • Alexander M. Grodensky
  • Julia Margolis
  • David Maxa
  • Sonja Keren Pilz
  • Ariel Pollak
  • Eli Reich
  • Fabian Sborovsky
  • Adrian Michael Schell

Cantors
  • Isidoro Abramowicz
  • Nikola David
  • Assaf Levitin
  • Sofia Falkovich
  • Amnon Seelig
  • Aviv Weinberg
  • Alexander Zacharenko
  • Juval Porat

References
  1. "Reform rabbis to be ordained in Berlin". 18 June 2009.
  2. Landsberg, Mitchell (2010-06-26). "L.A. synagogue hires first cantor ordained in Germany since WWII". Los Angeles Times.
  3. Connolly, Kate (2010-11-03). "Alina Treiger to become first female rabbi ordained in Germany since war". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  4. Martin, Michelle (2010-11-05). "Germany ordains first female rabbi since Holocaust". Reuters. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  5. "Germany's new female rabbi sign of growing Jewish community". BBC. 2010-11-04. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  6. "Making History In Germany". Archived from the original on 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
  7. German Jews ordain first female rabbi since World War II
  8. "Germany's first female German-born rabbi since the Nazi era | the Canadian Jewish News". Archived from the original on 2013-09-18. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  9. http://www.eupj.org%2Fpublications%2Feupj%2Fnewsletters%2Fcategory%2F1-newsletters-2011%3Fdownload%3D19%253Aeupj-newsletter-2011-12&ei=yjTkUdiWG8uw7Abf84DgCg&usg=AFQjCNGQXGliJSJIYH-QslOffFTeYtTEuA%5B%5D
  10. Schmoll, Heike; Potsdam (2022-10-26). "Klima der Angst an liberalem Rabbinerkolleg in Potsdam". FAZ.NET (in German). ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  11. First Rabbis ordinated in Germany after Shoah
  12. "Abraham Geiger Preis". Abraham-Geiger-Kolleg. Archived from the original on 2012-10-01. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  13. "Emil Fackenheim Lectures". Abraham-Geiger-Kolleg. Archived from the original on 2013-02-10. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
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