Excerpt from the Annual Report of Abraham Geiger Kolleg, 2003

 

We thank the School of Jewish Studies at the University of Potsdam for the friendly reception and good cooperation. We are proud to be able to contribute to its academic work as an institute at the university. Our heartfelt thanks go to the teaching and administrative staff and to the colleagues in the board of directors for their commitment. They have been a powerful driving force at the Abraham Geiger College in the past year. Without Rabbi Uri Regev, director of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) and its European regional chairman, Dr. Leo Hepner, and many others, the Abraham Geiger College would not be where it is today. Our successes would also not have been possible without broad financial support. We thank the Federal Minister of the Interior, Dr. Otto Schily, for his encouraging support since the foundation of the College and the "Stiftungsfonds Deutsche Bank” in the "Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft” for the endowment of a Chair for Rabbinical Studies, as well as for fellowships in memory of Jewish members of its executive board in the pre-war period. Thanks also go to the American Friends of the Union of Progressive Jews in Germany,
Austria and Switzerland for their fundamental supportive role as share-holder of the Abraham Geiger College and to the Rabbinic Training Fund of the European Region of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Without the solidarity of the Jewish community of North America, we would not have been able to take the daring step of opening a new chapter in the history of Judaism in Europe, and we are grateful to the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture and to Women in Reform Judaism for scholarship funding for our students. Our special thanks go to Rabbi Gregorij Kotlyar from Makhon Moscow and Rabbi Joel Oseran, WUPJ coordinator for the GUS States. Through the cooperation agreement with this Moscow training centre for community workers, the Abraham Geiger College has received outstanding candidates for the rabbinate.
Many helped us realize our task: Dr. Esther Seidel with a lectureship by the "Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft”,
Dr. Annette Böckler leading the study days "Liturgy as Theology”, Frank Hoffmann and Karl Schlich for their support at the Ministery of Defense, Harald Oberhem and Peter Blaschke in our co-operation with the Chaplaincy of the German Forces. In the Home Office we received much support from Dr. Joachim Henkel with his team: Mrs Juliane Kalinna, Mr Joachim Rott, Mr Friedrich Körner and Mrs Helga Schumacher.


Rabbiner Dr. Walter Homolka

Executive Director

 

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