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by Rick Landman |
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by Rick Landman |
September 2010
It is now 3 parades since I had the idea of marching in the Steuben Day Parade. The Parade was on Rosh Hashana last year, but this year the Parade Committee moved the date of the Parade (which fell out on Yom Kippur) back a week, so there was no problem with me marching.
My idea was to create a Jewish Contingent to not only honor German Jewish contributions to American culture, but to start taking “steps” towards exploring German pride before and after the Nazi era. Most of my family lived in Germany for several hundreds of years before fleeing to America in 1939.
When I retired in 2007, I not only became a dual German and American citizen, but I also started to delve into history and all of the conflicting emotions that I had being that I am Jewish, Gay, German and American.
I still have a cringing feeling when I hear the music to “Deutschland Uber Alles” even though I know that the words are no longer the same as during the Nazi era. Yesterday at a pre-Parade ceremony I showed my initial ignorance of German history, but corrected it in my mind later. There were people dressed in period costumes from Kaiser Wilhelm I and others from the period of Baron Von Steuben in 1777.
The 1777 costumes reminded me of the “Tea Party” groups that are currently in fashion and I understood the look without any emotions. But the Kaiser uniforms and helmets struck a nerve. I have photographs of my grandfather in a similar outfit while fighting in World War I for a Kaiser Wilhelm. But here is where my ignorance came in. That was Wilhelm II and they were commemorating the unification of Germany with Kaiser Wilhelm I. But the American in me, still had a negative reaction to the pointed helmets.
I also thought that I was talking to a German soldier until I learned that he was with a social group and it just looked like a military uniform. I did make a fool of myself several times by misunderstanding who was who. I would go and speak German to people who I thought were German, only find out that they worked in a restaurant in Staten Island and couldn't understand what I was saying.
The morning of the Parade, I put on all of the flags and pins that I got the day before and rolled up the banner and put on a CBST (LGBT Synagogue) rainbow yamulka (skull cap) to go up to the Assembly area. This was a day of two “Outings”. I not only would be carrying German identified items, but wearing the yamulka would be a public statement of my being a Jew. Usually, I only wear a yamulka when praying in a synagogue. To be honest, there are feelings involved when going up to someone wearing a yamulka and a German flag in one’s pocket that I didn’t know how to deal with.
My webpage was on the internet for almost a year, asking others to join in with my idea of a Jewish contingent; and at one time there were 11 people who expressed an interest in accompanying me. But that number dropped dramatically when they realized that they may be photographed on Fifth Avenue and everyone one of them had another appointment or declined to hold the banner with me.
So I put on my CBST yamulka and headed off for the Parade.
I decided that I would be a visable Jew with a yamulka on until I got home (Door to Door for a purpose of dor v’ dor.) Walking down 68th Street a met a woman who saw the yamulka and German flag and asked if I ever heard of the Leo Baeck Institute. I told her that I had started donated two collections there, but I emailed the Executive Director several times and that she never responded. Well, she gave me her card and said that she was the Executive Director. Maybe, we can do something next year together. This year I contacted numerous German Jewish groups and individuals just to get a specific no, or a request to remove their names from my webpage.
I then got very nice comments and met very friendly people at the assembly area and everyone was glad that I was marching. Of course, there was some confusion over my “group” since I was alone.
When we started marching on Fifth Avenue I felt comfortable and was used to marching thanks to the many times that I walked for either the Gay Pride Parade or the Salute to Israel Parade. I guess I always love a good parade on a sunny summer day. Many people took my photo and waved positively or clapped. Only one person yelled out, “Did you forget what they did to us?” and I just answered NO, and walked on. He was the only negative experience that I had.
But while walking by myself I thought of others like Earl Anthony from CBST who I used to see marching alone for years. I realized that what I was doing was the right thing. We needed to start a dialogue and take the “steps” to say that we will not blame the grandchildren for the sins of the grandparents. We must remember that German history was in existence for thousands of years before the Nazi era and for 65 years since the era. Someone has to take that step to say, how can we march together to improve the world. So why not me and why not now? So I marched.
When we passed the Grand Stand, I saw Ruth Westheimer. I called out that I was the son of the cousin of Freddie Rosenberg, who was her best friend. I couldn’t read her lips, but she then talked with Lars and I think she knows who I am. We have met several times before and I am practically mishbachah!
While walking alone I was able to get in touch with my feelings and noticed how much I have grown since a child. I realized that I can now release the anger and hatreds and feel good about a new generation of Germans who are very similar to me in politics, views and personal experiences. The Nazis are dead. The Germans who are now alive had nothing to do with the Nazi era and should not be blamed for the sins of their grandparents and great-grandparents. Just as Americans should remember our past dark eras towards minorities and make amends and move forward, we should remember what happened during the Nazi era and move forward with the newer generations of Germans. These younger Germans and the Americans of German descent were quite friendly to me and I am glad and proud that I marched this year. Maybe I can get more Jewish people to march next year? The time for a real open dialogue about the emotional response of many people to still hold the younger German generation responsible for the atrocities of World War II.
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PERSONAL COMMENT WRITTEN IN 2009 - by Rick Landman:
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 12 year period 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. The Jews of Germany had were able to be full citizens during the period of 1871-1933 while the law of the land in America during the period of 1896-1954 legalized segregation, not only for African Americans; but for Jews too. You could legally discriminate against Jews in employment, public accommodations and residential neighborhoods. My own parents couldn't find a hotel to stay in as Jews when they got married.
But this shows that history is full of nuance; it is not a simple as some want to make it. Every country has periods of times that they are not so proud of what may have occurred.
There is more to Jewish history than the Holocaust and there is more to German history than the Nazi era. We do not judge all of American history by our treatment to the slaves, Native Americans and other minorities. I believe that we must condemn the atrocious parts and move towards the future with our allies making sure things get better. To me Germany has become one of our best allies.
We also learn in the Torah that you do not blame the children for the sins of their parents or grandparents. We can try to heal the effects of the past, but we cannot blame the future generations. History is fluid and doesn't stop. World War II can find its roots in World War I and in the future people will see that we are still influenced by World War II. Making friendships is never a bad idea.
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.
But I realize this is a strange idea and I may be marching by myself or with a small contingent of brave people. Since Jews were not really appreciated in most European countries in the past thousand years, they tended to be separated from the mainstream culture. That is why most Jews of Polish or Russian descent do not consider themselves Polish Americans or Russian Americans. But up until the Nazi era, Germany had probably one of the most inclusive Jewish cultures. Jews were given full rights since 1871. My own grandfather fought in World War I along side of his fellow Germans and considered himself a German, as I consider myself an American. So I can understand why many Jews would not relate to the lederhosen-clad ompa bands. But I want to show that German history is broader than all of that. It includes its Jewish parts as well. So I am participating and moving forwards.
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