Jewish Contingent to the 2010 German-American Steuben Parade of New York

THIS YEAR THERE WILL BE A JEWISH CONTINGENT IN THE:

SEPT. 25, 2010 GERMAN-AMERICAN STEUBEN PARADE

We are seeking individuals to walk with us to honor German Jewish contributions to America.
If you want to join in, that would also be great. Just click back below.
We understand reconciliation is a continuing march of little steps.

banner

This is a concept of the Banner that can be held during the Parade.

CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION:
OR IF YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED. THANK YOU.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE GERMAN-AMERICAN STEUBEN PARADE OF NEW YORK FOR 2010
The Parade will be on Saturday afternoon, September 25, 2010, going up Fifth Avenue, north of Temple Emanuel. (It falls on Chol HaMoed Sukkot/Shabbat].

Reconsideration Steuben Flag

INTRODUCTION - WHY FORM A COMMITTEE TO HAVE A JEWISH CONTINGENT IN THE MARCH?
Two years ago I went to the German-American Steuben Day Parade to see what it was like. The whole experience was quite uncomfortable for me since I was still reconciling the issue of becoming a dual German-American citizen while being the son of two Holocaust Survivors. After walking around a bit, I felt most comfortable standing in front of Temple Emanuel, since I knew of its German roots.

Over the past years, I studied German Jewish history for the past 400 years and have also learned so much about how German Jews have contributed to America's history and culture. Not only by founding America's Reform and Modern Orthodox Jewish Movements, but also by having many immigrants contribute to our American history.

Over the past decades, I learned about the 17 members of my family that perished during the Holocaust and have been working with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Leo Baeck Institute, and 2nd/3rd Generation Groups. But I also learned that the most important thing to learn from the past was to make sure history doesn't repeat itself in the future. Pre-Nazi Germany gave my family full citizenship and post-Nazi Germany has been an ardent supporter of Israel, so I think the time has come to remember the past while moving into the future. That is why I now want to form a contingent to participate in the 2010 Parade.

Last year I approached the organizers of the Parade and inquired if a Jewish contingent could participate, but when I learned that the Parade fell out on Rosh Hashanah, my idea of participating was postponed for a year. So in 2009, the Parade organizers moved the Parade northwards a few blocks to reduce any inconvenience to Temple Emanuel, and I thought I'd try again the next year.

The Parade has been scheduled to fall on the third Saturday of September. In 2010, that meant that it would fall out on September 18th; which was Yom Kippur. But the Parade Organizers went to the City of New York and obtained permission to move the Parade back one week so that it would now be on the 25th.

So I am now forming a Jewish Committee to participate in the 2010 Parade by starting this webpage.

GOAL OF THE COMMITTEE
The goal of the Committee is to develop a marching contingent to show the contributions of Jewish German Americans to America's history and culture.

CONCEPT OF THE MARCHING CONTINGENT
One preliminary concept is to walk with a banner listing various German Jewish Groups and Notable German Jews who have contributed to America's history and culture.

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Photo from a prior Parade.

LIST OF GERMAN-JEWISH CONTRIBUTIONS TO AMERICA (list in formation):

AMERICAN JEWISH GROUPS/MOVEMENTS WITH GERMAN JEWISH BACKGROUNDS

The following groups or movements were started by German Jews or their descendants...
They are NOT participating in this endeavor. There names are only for historical information.

B'nai B'rith

United Jewish Appeal (Federation started by Felix Warburg)

Temple Emanuel

Congregation Habonim

Leo Baeck Institute

Henry Street Settlement

Reform Jewish Movement (Founded in Germany)

Modern Orthodox Jewish Movement (Founded in Germany)

JEWISH AMERICANS BORN IN GERMANY OR OF GERMAN DESCENT (List in formation)

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Albert Einstein

Erich Fromm

Marcus Goldman

Benjamin and Solomon Guggenheim

Fritz Kahn

Henry Kissinger

Abraham Kuhn

Henry Landman

Mayer Lehman

Solomon Loeb Lehman

Herbert Marcuse

J. Robert Oppenheimer

Senator Manfred Ohrenstein

Jacob Schiff

Joseph Seligman

Isodore Straus

Levi Strauss

Lillian Wald

Max Warburg

Dr. Ruth Westheimer

PARTICIPATING INDIVIDUAL MARCHERS:

INDIVIDUAL MARCHERS

[This list is now in formation...]

Rick Landman

Vera Meyer

Steven Fruh

PERSONAL COMMENT:
As a son of two Holocaust Survivors whose family lost 17 members during the Nazi era, I am very cognizant of the atrocities that occurred during that part of Germany's history and we must never forget it and must fight to ensure that genocide never happens again. Parts of my family lived in Germany for the past 400 years and thanks to Napoleon and his Emancipation, they were full citizens then and since 1871. One must remember that Jews fled from other parts of Europe to live in Germany during those centuries. Ironically, during the "Dreyfus Affair" era at the turn of the 20th Century, one might have thought that it would be France that would promote Antisemitism.

But this shows that history is full of nuance. One must remember that there was no Germany at the time of the American Revolution, and that Von Steuben was Prussian and not German. And although Von Steuben assisted George Washington against the British, the Hessian mercenaries fought with the British against the Americans. Politics are not that simple.

There is more to Jewish history than the Holocaust and there is more to German history than the Nazi era. We do judge all of American history by our treatment to the slaves, Native Americans and other minorities. We must condemn the atrocious parts and move towards the future making sure things get better.

But the concept of participating in the German-American Friendship Parade merely emphasizes the contributions that German Jews made to American society and appreciates post-war Germany and the years before Nazism came to power. While we must respect and honor the victims of the Holocaust, we must also reach out to the next German generation who are our friends now and in the future.

To read more about why I became a German citizen:
CLICK HERE OR CHOOSE TOPICS BELOW

GERMAN-AMERICAN FRIENDSHIP MONTH AT NYU'S DEUTSCHES HAUS

Thursday, September 16, 2010 Luncheon at Deutsches Haus at NYU

BECOMING A GERMAN

lederhosen

Rick Landman, Esq., a gay Jewish son of two Holocaust Survivors, will discuss why he became a German citizen.

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CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION:
OR IF YOU, OR YOUR GROUP WANTS TO GET INVOLVED. THANK YOU.