- Jewish school celebrates anniversary - dispute continues
Overshadowed by controversies, the Abraham Geiger College in Potsdam celebrates its 25th anniversary - where rabbis are trained. The jubilee falls on August 17 but will be celebrated together with the ordination of eight rabbis in Berlin on September 7, the Jewish Community of Berlin announced.
The successful training at the liberal rabbinical school Abraham Geiger College should not be disrupted, the community said in a statement. 47 rabbis and cantors trained there serve in liberal Jewish communities in Germany and internationally.
However, there has been long-standing dispute over a fresh start. The Jewish Community of Berlin took over the trusteeship of the college at the beginning of 2023, following allegations of abuse of power at the liberal rabbinical school, which the previous leadership denied.
The Central Council of Jews (ZdJ), one of the main funders of the college, was not satisfied with the new trusteeship and instead planned a restart under the auspices of a foundation. The Central Council gained the support of other public funders - the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Brandenburg state government, and the Conference of Ministers of Education.
"The continuity of the rabbinical and cantorial training will be ensured, but in the future in a new, transparent foundation structure," the Central Council said in response to a request. "Regardless of criticism of the trustee, the Central Council respects and recognizes the numerous graduates of the Abraham Geiger College."
"However, the current, very successful liberal rabbinical training should not simply be wiped out by a foundation planned by the ZdJ," criticized the current rabbinic director of the college, Rabbi Andreas Nachama, in a statement. The new structures and concrete measures introduced by the Jewish Community of Berlin had also restored lost international trust. The celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Geiger College and the rabbinic ordination will take place on September 5 in the Synagogue Rykestraße in Berlin.
The Central Council of Jews expects that the new foundation as the trustee of the rabbinical training in Potsdam can start as planned in the winter semester, as a spokesman told dpa in July.
In addition to the Geiger College for liberal rabbis, there is the Zacharias Frankel College for conservative rabbis and a cantorial training in Potsdam. The institutions are affiliated with the University of Potsdam. All three pillars are to be brought under the roof of the foundation.
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The 25th anniversary of the Abraham Geiger College, marked by its jubilee on August 17 and the ordination of eight rabbis in Berlin on September 7, will be celebrated despite the year of controversy the institution has faced. The Central Council of Jews, acknowledging the successful training at the college, has announced the continuity of the rabbinical and cantorial training with a new, transparent foundation structure.
