Jews throughout Germany observed their first free Passover since 1932 in a variety of ways during the past two days, ranging from a huge communal seder in Berlin, to private gatherings in many cities and solemn religious services in shattered synagogues.
More than 1,000 Allied military and civil personnel, and a section of the Jewish community crowded the Schoenberg Rathaus here to attend the first public seder in more than a decade. Two large halls were decorated with floral designs and filled with giant-sized banquet tables.
On the stage of the front hall were tables for Allied notables and large Allied flags adorned the walls. Chaplains Joseph Shubow and Herbert Friedman conducted the reading of the Haggadah which preceded a meal consisting of soup with “knaidlech,” pot roast and potatoes, sliced peaches and wine. The tremendous amount of work involved in arranging the seder and securing the scarce foodstuffs was performed by the chaplains, the JDC and the Jewish Welfare Board, with the cooperation of the Army.
The five damaged synagogues in Berlin were jammed. They filled up early and many were unable to get in because of the limited capacity. The Jewish DP’s observed the holiday in their camp synagogues and services were also held in Army hospitals and chapels and in the home for the aged.
Addressing the communal seder here, Maj. Gen. Ray Barker, U.S. commander in the Berlin district, told the gathering that “this is an historic occasion not only for the Jewish people, but all the people of the world. This marks a new day for all people, and I hope that it marks a day that will see the realization of those principles for which we fought and won. It was a privilege for the American army to bring an end to the Hitler terror. Let us hope it never happens again.”
Maj. Gen. E.P. Nares, commander of British troops in Berlin, told the gathering that it was symbolic that the seder was being held “in the temple of Nazi tyranny.” He lauded the contributions of the Jewish soldiers in the Allied armies and paid special tribute to the Jewish Brigade, which he said “did much to bring about victory.”
Maj. Gen. Charles Lancon, French commander in the Berlin district, and Chaplain Aubrey C. Reilly, chief U.S. chaplain in this district, also spoke.
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