Dear friend, this is Berlin-Newsletter 02/2009 from Sue Arns Stadtführungen (former Sue Blumenthal)

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Thanks to all of you for the positive feedback on our first newsletter. I got so many wonderful mails that I think it was the right decision to send this newsletter. My special thanks to Eckart who is doing all the technical work for our newsletter as well as giving advice and having a lot of patience.

About our private life

Some of you have said that I should write a book about my life. Well - now there is a competition in the German TV called "What a life!" and they made a short movie about my personal life-story. And it will be presented next week on TV. The headnote of my personal history is "The Shoah and its consequences on the 3rd generation". I'll keep you informed.

Berlin moans the death of Jeanne-Claude - Christo's muse

Jeanne Claude died recently at the age of 74; we will never forget how our Reichstag was wrapped and stood there like a piece of furniture that hasn't been used in decades, which was the case for 66 years while the wall was up. As a matter of fact, the Reichstag was out of service from 1933 until 1999. Thanks, Jeanne Claude and Christo, for a wonderful 2 weeks in Berlin in 1995!

East Side Gallery renovated

You might remember our longest piece of the Berlin wall with its wonderful paintings. Originally planned to become an art work by many international painters, over the years the graffiti-sprayers and tourists destroyed this wonderful art piece by scratching and painting and writing on it. Now, the East Side Gallery is being renovated. Here are some pics:

Exhibit Topography of Terror

Many of our clients visited the exhibit which has been open air for a long time right beside the Berlin Wall and just one block away from Checkpoint Charlie. The director of the exhibit is our Rabbi. Prof. Dr. Andreas Nachama. Germans (have to) focus on the victims, to focus on the perpetrators the German state (who runs the exhibit) needs a Jew.

After endless discussions and financial and political struggles the museum will eventually be opened in spring 2010.

Nevertheless for those of you who want some prior or more explicit information on the exhibit it is available online and in Englisch at http://www.topographie.de/openair/e/

Christmas in Berlin

I tried to make some new pics about the beautiful illuminated Kudamm and Unter den Linden, it hasn't worked the way I would have liked it and I promise I'll try to come up with some in our next newletter. We do have among 40 – 50 different bigger or smaller Xmas-markets.

Here I made some pictures from the KaDeWe shopwindows which – as always – have been richly decorated as well as the interior. I was not able though to make a picture of the complete entrance with its magnificent and very impressive ornaments. Please forgive me if the pictures give you only a little idea of this phantastic decoration.

New Italian Restaurant

The ones among you who choosed the Adlon Hotel might remember the concierge Raffaele Sorrentino. Once he was denominated the best concierge of the world by the local press. He is a very good professional and is working in sort of a Concierge Service beside of still working for the Adlon Hotel.

He is doing sort of PR for the new Italian Restaurant "il punto" and "Antica Lasagneria" right beside it. While il punto is quite elegant the Lasagneria is more like homemade Italian food. Both restaurants are in walking distance from the Adlon, Regent, Hotel de Rome. They are a good alternative to "Bocca di Bacco" which has been the Italian choice up until now.

If you are interested you can have a glance of the menue here http://www.ilpunto.net/mediapool/81/818238/data/Speisenkarte.pdf

15th Jewish Film Festival

The Jewish Film Festival has become quite an event in the city and will be on from May 3rd – May 15th.

Further English information to be found on http://www.jffb.de/festival.php?lang=eng

Chanukka Celebration

There are many Chanukkah Celebrations going on in Berlin since Jewish life is increasing practically (and luckily!) day by day. The Jewish Community has many events going on and each and every temple/congregation has its own.

Same as every year our congregation has a little celebration in one of the hotels of the city, where we will sit together, sing a bit and eat some cake with coffee and tea. Due to an illness of the cantor, last year our Rabbi had to sing the songs. This year we hope our cantor remains in good health.



This was all for today – I promised to be short and crisp. Hope you enjoyed reading.

Happy Chanukka

Chag Sameach

from Sue and Eckart Arns

your Berlin Dream-Team

December 3rd, 2009

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Sue Arns Stadtführungen (former Sue Blumenthal) Landshuter Str. 28 10779 Berlin sue@arns.de www.sue-arns.de www.jewish-touring-berlin.com