Second Gentleman Pool Reports of January 30, 2023

SGOTUS travel pool report #1 — Convening of Special Envoys on Combating Antisemitism

Good morning from windy, rainy, frigid downtown Berlin.

Light day today for pool; open engagements end by 12:30.

Of copy note: Amb. Amy Gutmann, former longest-serving president of UPenn and current US Ambassador to Germany, has a last name with one t and two ns. I'll leave you to think of your own mnemonic device.

At approximately 9:15, SGOTUS joined a Convening of Special Envoys on Combating Antisemitism at the Topography of Terror Museum. The outdoor/indoor museum stands on the site that, from 1933 to 1945, housed the Nazi's SS Reich Security Main Office, the headquarters of the (Schutzstaffel) paramilitary organizations — Sicherheitspolizei, SD, Einsatzgruppen, and Gestapo. It also stands next to the largest standing section of the Berlin Wall.

The implicit goal of the summit is for envoys to exchange best practices and to produce concrete, actionable steps that participating envoys can use in combating antisemitism in their home countries. The meaty half of this convening (9:48 onward) was closed to the press.

First spoke Dr. Felix Klein, German Federal Commissioner for Jewish Life, who reminded those gathered that Jan.30 is the 90th anniversary of President Paul von Hindenburg appointing Hitler as chancellor of Germany.

Next was Ambassador Amy Gutmann, U.S. Ambassador to Germany.

Next, SGOTUS told those gathered that he considers Ambassador Lipstadt a mentor, that he never expected to be working on the issue of antisemitism, and reminded folks that Biden ran in 2020 because of antisemitism during Charlottesville.

"I know each of you is laying such crucial groundwork for those who will come after you to do this important work. And I'm proud to have the United States President Biden, Vice President Harris, to be a part of this work," Emhoff said.

"I just arrived last night from a very intense and emotional visit to Poland, to honor the victims of the Holocaust, and to reflect on history of Jews on the continent here, including my my ancestors," he added. "And honestly, the few days and I'm still processing what I saw, and how I feel. We have made serious visits."

"All of us need to speak out against antisemitism, we need to call out those who don't, we need to call out leaders who remain silent, when they know that when they see what's going on, but they don't say anything. We just can't normalize it. It can't be an everyday occurrence. And that's why leaders need to speak out. We cannot be silent. We cannot. And we can learn from each other," he said.

"We cannot be silent and we cannot live in fear," Emhoff said, noting that he hopes to have actionable and concrete takeaways from this convening.

Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, spoke about her relationship with Emhoff, praising his work on the issue. She also noted the alarming rise in US antisemitism, and of conspiracy theories in general.

"Our government is taking a page from your governments and what you've done," she told the European envoys.

Ms. Katharina von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism, spoke about the alarming rise of antisemitism in Europe.

Other participants included:

Dr. Robert Klinke, Special Representative for Relations with Jewish Organizations, Germany

Antonio Martino, Office of Austrian-Jewish Cultural Heritage, Austria

Sarah Lustig, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister for Holocaust Issues and Combatting Antisemitism, Croatia

Friedrich-Nikolaus von Peter, Political Advisor, European Commission

Aaron Sagui, Deputy Chief of Mission, Israel

Irina-Dumitrita Solomon, Special Representative for Combatting Antisemitism, Romania

Lord John Mann, Advisor on Antisemitism, United Kingdom

After the convening, SGOTUS and Amb. Gutmann received a museum tour from Andrea Riedle, Director, Topography of Terror Museum.

SGOTUS travel pool report #2 — Jewish Museum Berlin

The sun has decided it will momentarily deign to join us, just as we head inside for the last event open to press today.

At 11:40 at the Jewish Museum Berlin, SGOTUS and Amb. Gutmann greeted museum leaders Julia Friedrich, Director of the Collection of the Jewish Museum, Daniel Libeskind, Museum Architect and husband / business partner of Nina Libeskind, business partner and wife of Daniel Libeskind.

They were officially given a tour of the museum by Mr. Aubrey Pomerance, Head of Archives at the Jewish Museum Berlin, though it seemed as Mr. Liebeskind was running the show.

A loud, clangy pool spray took place in the installation Shalekhet (Fallen Leaves) by Menashe Kadishman, a collection of more than 10,000 faces with open mouths cut into iron plates that cover the ground and are meant to stir painful memories of the victims of war. Visitors (including SGOTUS and Amb. Gutmann) are meant to walk across it.

"Wow," said SGOTUS, as he saw the exhibit and prepared to do so. "It's meant to be hard, and interactive," added Daniel Liebskind.

The Museum is the largest Jewish museum in Europe and is located in the heart of Berlin, in the Kreuzberg district. The museum sheds light on the lives of German Jews and Jews in Germany. A special focus of the museum is educational work including an extensive education program, research opportunities in the library and archive, and the program of events are aimed at children, young people, and adults.