Newsletter 2009/03 from Sue Arns Stadtführungen Berlin

Thanks again to all of you for the positive feedback. Eckart said not to expect anybody writing back after the second newsletter. The nicer was our surprise to receive all your kind and lovely mails and Chanukka wishes.

My special thanks to Eckart who is doing all the technical work for this newsletter and for all his patience with me and for reading the newspaper and saving all those little snippets for me.

Due to a strike, the TV movie about my life has not been shown yet. It is only a 3:40 minutes broadcast. If I become the winner, the first prize will be a 60 - 90 minutes movie about my life. But with that little spot I might have better chances. Aside from that, Christmas time might not be the best time for the ordinary people to be reminded of the Shoah's consequences on the 3rd generation. Therefore, the journalist informed us that they might broadcast it in January.

And: Our Chanukka-Celebration was last Saturday. This year our rabbi (and many others) got caught in a traffic jam and were late. Luckily, both of our cantors were in good health and sang the songs with us and the children. We had some cake, I repeat SOME... The Sufganiot were there in great quantities but did not find the sympathy of all of us.

I shouldn't say that before it happens: Eckarts Giur (exam and conversion) might be in mid February. But: He is still struggling with reading Hebrew. Some friends are trying to help him but it needs time. We'll have a meeting with our rabbi soon to see what he decides on that.

I tried to make some new pics at night. My special thanks to Eckart, who drove me around managing somehow to park in that messy streets and did wait patiently until I made bunches of photos. Some of the good ones are here. It was difficult, Eckart took out his tripod, his big and professional camera, to get the best results. I was there with my camera as well - the results to be found below:

Here you see how beautiful "Unter den Linden" is illuminated

Eckart

And this is the "Kurfürstendamm"-Illumination

The "Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche" with Christmas-Market

View to "Europa-Center" near KaDeWe

After my visit of the Neues Museum I am absolutely enthusiastic about it! The great architecture by David Chipperfield is unique and in any case worthwhile visiting.

The exhibit comprises: Egypt with Nefertiti, the mummies and the papyrus collection, copies of the Trojan treasures found by Schliemann, the Romans and many other things. And there are 4 floors.

If you want to have a virtual visit of the museum, here are 2 links under which you'll be able to do so and have yourself a good idea of what the empty building looked like. Now of course the exhibit is in there.

Notice: I suggest to use the autorotate button in order to have a good idea! Also you can have David Chipperfield explaining the building. You may also use the zoom-function.

Please keep in mind: When visiting the Neues Museum you need a ticket with a time slot. For assistance ask your concierge.

To visit the dome is one of the hip and trendy things in the city and one of the possibilities to avoid the lines is to have your concierge making a reservation for you in the restaurant up above the Reichstag terrace.

Now there is a new, free of charge audioguide system available at the Reichstag Dome. The system works when walking up the curved ramp of the dome. It automatically locates your position at the ramp and explains everything on your eyeshot. Good system, available once you get out of the elevator. To be used either before or after your meal in the Restaurant "Käfer" - they'll ask for a deposit to be refunded after the tour.

60th Berlin Film-Festival "Berlinale"

The 60th Berlin Film Festival will take place from February 11 - 21 and we will have 2 world premieres:

"Shutter Island" from Martin Scorsese with Leonardo di Caprio, Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow starring.

At the same time also the debut of "The Ghost Writer" from Roman Polanski with Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall and Ewan McGregor.

Chanukkia at the Brandenburg Gate

On December 11 Chabad Lubawitch put up an 18 feet high Chanukkia at the Brandenburg Gate.

The Jewish Cemetery Weissensee in Berlin with its 115.600 tumbs and an area of nearly 100 acres is the largest of its kind in Europe and still in use. It was opened in September 1880.

The German and the Berlin government recently donated 1 million Euros each for the reconstruction of the surrounding wall which has been suffering with the growth of trees and plants. Nearby is my grandmothers tumb, which luckily is in good shape. Many tumbstones are not and will be restored as far as possible. Unfortunately not all graves can be redone.

The State of Berlin and the Berlin Jewish Community are trying to have the cemetery included in the Unesco list of Worlds Heritage, which has not been possible in the past due to the lack of precise records on each and every single one of the 115.600 tumbstones.

With the help of some Berlin institutions next year the Jewish Community of Berlin will start with a complete compilation of all tumbstones. The cost is calculated with 450.000 Euros.

Some other famous jewish cemeteries such as Prague, Vienna, Budapest might be competing to become part of the Unesco list as well. A meeting to discuss this issue is planned to take place in Berlin in December 2010.

As one of the founders of Berlin Dada and New Objectivity Group, Grosz was a convinced Anti-Nazi and left Germany 1932. He taught at the Art Students League of New York until 1955.

An interesting exhibit of George Grosz is planned for January at the Akademie der Künste near the Brandenburg Gate. The exhibit will be on from January 24 - April 5, 2010.

Well - that's all for today. Hope you enjoyed reading. Thanks for your time. Needless to say:

You got this newsletter because you are a customer of ours. At any time you can subscribe or unsubscribe to our newsletter on my websites www.sue-arns.de or www.jewish-touring-berlin.com. You are listed with the following eMail-address:

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