AJC-Bundeswehr Joint Seminar Begins

BERLIN, Aug. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week, German military officers will attend a seminar on German-Jewish and German-Israeli relations organized jointly by the AJC Berlin Ramer Institute, headed by Deidre Berger, and the Leadership Development and Civic Education Center of the German Armed Forces (Zentrum fur Innere Forschung).

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The program begins today at the Strausberg branch of the center before moving to Berlin. The prestigious group of participants is composed of army and navy officers who teach at the training academies of the German armed forces.

The goal of the program is to provide these officers with a better understanding of Jewish life and culture, German-Jewish relations, and developments in Israel and the Middle East.

During their stay in Berlin, the group will meet with a variety of representatives of public life, as well as diplomats, Jewish community leaders, and academic experts. The seminar will come to a close on Friday evening, when the participants will attend Kabbalat Shabbat services at Berlin's famous New Synagogue.

AJC and the Bundeswehr established a cooperative partnership in 1994. This pioneering, ongoing dialogue includes regular visits by Bundeswehr officers to AJC headquarters in New York and the AJC Berlin Ramer Institute. In December 2009, AJC and the German Defense Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding to have a joint annual seminar for training officers at German military academies. The program's location alternates on a yearly basis between Berlin and Israel.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee