Travel Journal

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A Visit with Longtime Friends while Exploring Germany's Culture
March 2024

​By Cornelia Seckel

In 1984 my late husband and partner, Raymond J. Steiner, and I began publishing ART TIMES, a literary journal and resource for the fine and performing arts. For over 35 years we were very fortunate to meet and become friends with many of the artists Raymond wrote about. One of these artists was Heinrich J. Jarczyk (Heinz), who subsequently introduced us to Jörg Iwan and Jacky Sparkowsky. For over 30 years, our friendships continued. They visited us in our home, we in their homes, and explored many U.S. and European cities with each of them — memories I cherish.

I made arrangements to fly to Cologne to see Heinz and Christiane. I like traveling — especially flying. I’m a take-charge person but what a relief to just be responsible for getting to the airport and leaving the rest to the airline. From Cologne I would take a train to Jacky & Jörg in Berlin.
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It was a pleasure to be with Heinz, Christiane, Konstanza (Heinz’s daughter), and her husband, Andreas. They are more than friends — they are family. 

Whenever I’ve visited, Christiane has made an elegant reception for me and invited her English-speaking friends, many of whom I knew from previous visits. I stayed very close to their home at Refrather Hof, a small hotel, and in the morning was greeted by what I fondly remember as a German breakfast. 

I recall saying: “I remember you” as I took in the many varieties of rolls, meats, fruits, vegetables and cheeses.

Spending a few days with the Jarczyks was very relaxing. We had no other plans than to catch up, share the many memories of past visits, and be grateful for our friendship.​

German Breakfast and the Lively Company of Friends
(Photos: Courtesy of Cornelia Seckel)

​It was time to leave the Jarczyks and head to Berlin.

The trip from Bergisch Gladbach (a small city just outside of Cologne) to Berlin was an adventure. I’d taken that train ride many times and liked being able to see the passing cities and farmlands and to engage with other travelers. “One could set their watches by the punctuality of the trains” I had been told years ago. Not anymore. I booked a seat from Cologne to Berlin with a change in Essen. The train was late into Essen, and I missed the connection. The time went quickly as I talked with others waiting for the train. After over two hours, a train finally arrived. I had no reserved seat, so I went to the dining car (much more comfortable) and had an excellent conversation with a young man who was juggling his needs and desires and what he believed his mother needed and wanted. I invited him to visit if he came to New York, and I hope he does. I learned that since the train was delayed over two hours, I could have the cost of my ticket refunded — which I did.

​A warm welcome from Jacky and Jörg and a plate of cookies and fruit awaited me in my room.
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Jacky and Jörg live in an area of Berlin called Wilmersdorf, a residential district known for upscale shops and restored pre-war buildings. On previous trips we headed out to Prague or France or a boat trip along the Muritz, and to various cities in Germany. This trip was spent exploring new and familiar places in Berlin. Being in their home for the week and spending time with them and Jacky’s sons Alex and Andy was heartwarming.

Photo Courtesy: Cornelia Seckel

Graffiti on Berlin Wall
Photo Credit: Maria Tortajada (Pixabay)

When Raymond and I took our very first trip to Berlin in January 1989, we went, among many other sites, to Checkpoint Charlie. When the Berlin wall came down in November 1989, Jacky & Jörg sent a cassette of the sounds of the wall being chipped away. The 96-mile wall, cut through the middle of the city center, surrounded West Berlin for just over twenty-eight years.
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It was during our next visit several years later that Jörg drove through the Brandenburg gate for the very first time; it was a moving experience for him and for us. Listening to my hosts provided a different perspective of what life was like for many citizens: Jörg in a shelter with friends wondering whose house would still be standing; still not eating beets as that was all they had; Heinz’s sister talking about needing to prepare herself for the Brown Coats; and another acquaintance talking about her family hiding Jews. Heinz, at age 18, had to enlist and was so relieved that he was wounded early in the war. He refers to the scar on his forehead as a blessing and spent the rest of the war in a prisoner of war hospital in Leuven, Belgium, making etchings by scratching on the lids of tin cans, inking them, and printing — perhaps on toilet paper.

​For many years I didn’t think about the devastation the war caused to many of its German citizens. I only knew what it did to my Jewish relatives.

It was Saturday morning, the Jewish Sabbath, and I told Jacky and Jörg I wanted to go to a religious service at a synagogue. I don’t regularly attend services but when I am in a different country, I seek them out. In the past, I spent Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) in Singapore, a Passover Seder in Beijing, and a regular Shabbat service in Bern, Switzerland. Ray and I also attended a funeral in Zurich. Services are conducted in the language of the country with the prayers being recited in Hebrew. There are hardly words, only deep emotion to express the feelings of being halfway across the world at a Shabbat Service singing the same prayers in the same language as are being recited on the same day at my local synagogue. 

​Pestalozzistrasse Synagogue is one of the liberal synagogues of the Jewish Community of Berlin and can seat 1400 people. The building suffered major damage during Kristallnacht, the pogrom of November 9, 1938. Because of its location within a courtyard, it was not set ablaze. Renovation began immediately following the war. I could hardly keep tears from flowing as I stood within this history.

There was an extraordinary choir led by Cantor Isidoro Abramowicz and services conducted by Rabbi Sievers. What gave me a jolt was the police security at the entrance and passing through a metal detector before entering the sanctuary. After settling into my seat, I looked around and realized so many people looked familiar. Of course. My family came from Germany several generations ago. These too are Ashkenazi Jews, we share a heritage.    

During the service, several women watched out for me letting me know what page we were on, and at the end of the service, invited me to the oneg shabbat (social gathering after services). I was surprised and not surprised as I partook of the foods on the table: wine, lox, challah, roasted egg — foods served at my local Synagogue. A young woman next to me was from White Plains, she was there to honor her grandfather’s passing. We are one very extended family.

​On another day we went to Marheineke Markthalle, which opened in 1892 as a soup kitchen and rebuilt in the early 1950s. This indoor market, perhaps the last one of an original plan of 11 indoor markets, has edible products that are organic and regionally produced. Exploring a market is one of my favorite things when traveling. 

I was in Berlin during Halloween, and it has become an event. Some children dress up and trick or treat. A favorite restaurant of Jacky & Jörg’s had a special Halloween dinner. They served all-you-can-eat BBQ ribs, cole slaw, and baked potato. It was a fun evening.

Marheineke Markthalle
Photo Courtesy: Cornelia Seckel

Halloween Dinner with Friends
Photo Courtesy: Cornelia Seckel

All-You-Can-Eat BBQ Dinner
Photo Courtesy: Cornelia Seckel

The Jewish Museum Berlin opened to the public in 2001. The new building, designed by Daniel Libeskind is housed next to the site of the original Prussian Court of Justice building which was completed in 1735 and now serves as the entrance to the new building. Across the road is the W. Michael Blumenthal Academy. Opened in 2012, it supplements and complements the Museum’s program and functions as the museum’s in-house laboratory. Anoha is the children’s museum and tells the story of Noah’s Ark as a fun experience for children. It seemed to me that the archive and library hold more information than one could absorb in several lifetimes. The core and permanent exhibit is “Jewish Life in Germany: Past and Present.” There are also rotating exhibits.

I found the building itself off-putting -- not a straight line or 90-degree angle anywhere. I was dizzy just walking along a corridor. That being said, I could have spent days going through the exhibit depicting Jewish life in Germany. There were so many personal stories and artifacts, so much of Jewish culture, so much to learn. Exhibits included: family albums; a hall of fame with Jewish notables in the fields of medicine, arts, philosophy, theater, and science; the holocaust; customs and early settlements from the 4th century; and much more. The museum’s website is extensive with current and former exhibitions’ photos and text. ​​

Jewish Museum Berlin, Hall of Fame
Photo Courtesy: Cornelia Seckel

Jewish Museum Berlin, Hallway
Photo Courtesy: Cornelia Seckel

I was pleased to learn that since 2007, in order to make the contents of the museum accessible to young people who cannot easily get to Berlin, there are bus tours traveling throughout Germany. Programs include “Jewish Diversity in Present-day Germany” and “Antisemitism.”
 
I am so pleased to have spent these two weeks in Germany. It was wonderful to visit old friends, and I look forward to new adventures.

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​Cornelia Seckel is the publisher of ART TIMES, a publication she co-founded with Raymond J. Steiner (1933-2019) in 1984, serving the cultural corridor of the Northeast. ART TIMES was in print through the Summer 2016 issue, and its many resources can now be found online with essays about the arts, short fiction, poetry. We also share Art Times Library here at Sanctuary. Cornelia enjoys networking and connecting with people from around the world.

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