The charming German college town of Tübingen is flourishing today, a stark contrast to its somber history. This southwestern city, with a population of 90,000, was once home to Theodor Dannecker, a Nazi captain and one of Adolf Eichmann’s closest aides, who is infamously known as the architect of the Holocaust. In 1933, the University of Tübingen, where many infamous Nazi soldiers known as SS trained until 1945, proudly labeled itself as “Jew free.” Today, Tübingen is confronting its painful history in order to transcend it.
Jobst Bittner, founder of Tübingen’s TOS Church and the March of Life initiative, emphasized the importance of taking responsibility for the city’s history. He stated, “We can only live here as Christians in this congregation if we take responsibility for the history of this city,” during an interview with Israel’s Channel 11.
A report from the television outlet showcased a banner in the TOS church that read “Bring Them Home Now,” advocating for the release of nearly 100 Israeli and American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Inside the church, there is a store featuring merchandise and literature about Israel. Beneath it lies the “Museum of Guilt,” which exhibits photographs of Nazis from Tübingen alongside images of mass graves that were once concealed in cigar boxes as Holocaust souvenirs.
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Another segment highlighted young church members singing “Am Yisrael Chai” (“The People of Israel Live”), despite their limited Hebrew knowledge. During the holiday of Sukkot, they construct sukkahs (temporary huts) to commemorate the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt.
Heinz Reuss, an elder at TOS Church and international director of the March of Life, reminisced about last year’s Sukkot celebration in the Market Square, describing it as “very beautiful.” He noted that rabbis from a nearby town came to Tübingen to perform blessings, similar to his own participation during Hanukkah when lighting the menorah candles.
The musical “A Ship Makes History,” based on the story of a Holocaust survivor and the Exodus, has also been performed during Hanukkah. Michaela Buckel, program director of the March of Life movement and playwright, explained how the production teaches children about the Holocaust in a non-threatening manner, inspired by the resilience of the Jewish people post-Holocaust. “I wanted to focus the play on this willingness to live and to fight for new life, even though it’s hard,” she expressed.
Reuss mentioned that the Christians at his church celebrate some Jewish holidays as a gesture of friendship and to acknowledge their Jewish roots, stating, “that’s where the blessing comes from.” He reflected on a pivotal moment in 2003 when many congregants began to uncover their family histories as Nazis. “It was a powerful time of repentance and healing,” he shared.
TOS worship leader Kim-Sophie Kasch, 24, recounted how her family discovered that her great-grandfather was a Nazi after his death when she was just 7 years old. He had served in the Wehrmacht armed forces and was involved in areas where atrocities were committed against the Polish-Lithuanian population and Jewish communities.
Kasch described her father’s shock upon learning about his grandfather. Reuss noted that when TOS church members realized there were eight concentration camps surrounding Tübingen, along with the grim trails of death marches, “everything became visible. Everyone saw it.” He recounted organizing a prayer march with descendants of Holocaust survivors and Nazis, which evolved into a meaningful three-day event.
Since 2007, March of Life events have occurred in hundreds of cities across over 20 countries, with Holocaust survivors and descendants of Nazis visiting concentration camp sites and mass graves throughout Europe. In 2009, the initiative expanded to the United States, becoming known as the March of Remembrance, a memorial walk held every spring on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day.
Reuss stated, “The message is remembrance, reconciliation, and making a stand for Israel and against antisemitism. It teaches the lessons of the Holocaust, and we encourage people to confront the history of antisemitism within their own families.” He shared his family history, revealing that his great-grandfather from the Netherlands, an Orthodox reform Christian, saved Jewish lives by refusing to sign a declaration disavowing his Jewish friends. He expressed disappointment in his German grandfather, who lacked similar courage and distanced himself from Jewish people.
“It’s crucial to speak out and not remain silent in your personal and professional environments, as antisemitism is evil and does not stop with the Jews,” Reuss asserted. He announced that on Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, survivor Irene Shashar, born Ruth Lewkowicz on December 12, 1937, will be honored at the TOS church. She will share her survival story in Warsaw, recalling how the Nazis invaded Poland when she was just 2 years old and how her mother’s resourcefulness helped her survive by hiding in closets and sewers with her cherished doll, Laleczka. At a U.N. speech in 2020, she declared, “I survived … Hitler didn’t win and I have proof.”
