Germany Close Up

Stay tuned for the next program in 2021!  

Background

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Established in October 2007, Germany Close Up – American Jews Meet Modern Germany is an initiative created to enrich transatlantic dialogue and provide Jewish-North American students and young professionals in their twenties and thirties with an opportunity to experience modern Germany up close and personally. A generous government scholarship (a part of the ERP Special Assets of the German Ministry for Economics and Technology) covers more than two-thirds of participation costs, which leaves a participation fee of $890 per person. At the same time, Germany Close Up is an independent body regarding the organization and content of its programs. The purpose of the program is to allow participants to gain their own perspective on Germany through individual experience.

The trips are designed to expose participants to a range of aspects that make up modern Germany, with both the past and present in focus. Every Germany Close Up trip includes a number of activities, tours, and meetings. All trips cover issues related to Germany’s reflection on its past and its efforts to deal with the memory of the Holocaust and the Nazi horror up to this very day. They also consider Germany’s transformation over the last decades into a modern, reunified, and democratic country in the heart of the European Union, home to a growing Jewish community. It will be possible to eat kosher-style or vegetarian on this trip and the program will include a Shabbat observance with a Berlin congregation.

The nine-day program will expose participants to Berlin’s multicultural life, allow them to visit sites such as a former concentration camp, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and the Jewish Museum in Berlin, and to experience other key historical sites and cultural venues. They will meet with German opinion-makers from the academic and political spheres, representatives of grassroots movements and the Jewish community, as well as German contemporaries. The role of Jewish voices in transatlantic relations will be explored as participants actively contribute to German-American dialogue. 

Focus

The program will focus on the following topics:

• Berlin and united Germany
• The Holocaust and the Nazi Era (incl. a visit to a former Concentration Camp)
• Transatlantic/German-American relations (incl. a meeting with officials of the German Federal Foreign Office)
• Current German Politics
• Jewish Life in Berlin, past and present
• German-Israeli relations
• Visit to a city outside of Berlin

We will have space for about 25 young adults (aged 21-39 at the time of the trip). Applicants will be selected by Germany Close Up in consultation with Emanu-El. The policy of Germany Close Up is that each applicant needs to be 21-39 years old, Jewish (according to the Reform movement) & a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or Canada. We love and adore all of our members, including those who don’t fit these criteria. This policy is set by the funders in Germany and is not flexible.

Application Details  Stay tuned for the next program in 2021.

To complete your application successfully, please have the following documents ready to attach as a single PDF file:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• A 500-word statement outlining your interest in the program
• One letter of recommendation (Emanu-El external), please choose someone that can speak to your candidacy to this program and ability to contribute to a positive group dynamic. 

Please contact David Wolk for more information.