German Government Policies and Perspectives - Discussion and Presentation by Rulf Shrutt

The presentation we were able to organize with Mr. Rulf Shrutt of the German Consulate was extremely interesting. This event gave the class a better idea of how German government organizes policy, as well as a direct perspective of a German political figure who has faced his own forms of discrimination and hate. Shrutt began his discussion with giving us a brief history of Jewish-German relations pre and post Holocaust. He also discussed with us his own personal history and how he has become politically involved. A lot of his discussion was focused on the "bind" between Jews and Germans, and this is a connection that is completely unique of all other relations. From this bond, Shrutt expanded on the notion that there is always a "fear of slipping," or that there is always the elephant in the room when dialogue between Jews and Germans occurs. He noted how this elephant makes it very difficult for the two parties to openly discuss emotions or their past, simply because it is uncomfortable territory.

Shrutt discussed German attitudes about the Holocaust, and he gave statistics on how many Germans currently represent a Neo-Nazi party, have extreme resentment for the topic of the Holocaust (because it has been ingrained in their education), or feel some sort of personal guilt and/or connection to the Holocaust. Shrutt's discussion of Germany today opened dialogue for how individuals are interacting on a regular basis. Shrutt discussed his own personal opinions on ways of confronting the elephant in the room and moving forward with history. When asked certain questions, however, Shrutt did seem to put up a political forefront. It appeared that there were certain questions that Shrutt did not want to answer directly, which was interesting. It was incredible being able to have this political figure come to speak with our class, and the Wheelock community, but I felt that a more casual and personable discussion could have left us with greater insight.

From this class, I felt that the real lesson was learned in our group discussion after Shrutt left. The class openly discussed our attitudes and how we perceived his talk. We were all able to engage in an extremely interesting conversation about our own personal attitudes, why we feel certain ways, how we feel society interprets certain phenomenon, and what we should do in order to combat specific emotions. I think that we were all able to engage on a new level during this class. Sometimes, the topics  of conversation that can be brought up during this type of course can easily become conflicting and opposing. I feel that with this group, however, we are all able to take a step back and appreciate individual attitudes. There is always a lesson to be learned from one's peers, and I think that this class have definitely allowed me to connect with my peers in a way that I have not been able to. With such a serious subject matter, we all are sympathetic and open to new ideas. I am excited to see how our discussions develop when we are abroad and what types of discussions we will soon have.