Day One, November 8 –Arrival In Berlin

I arrived in Berlin at 7 AM and came to the Touro campus in West Berlin at noon. As Touro Berlin celebrates its 20^th anniversary, we reflected on the interesting story and history of its campus. In the 1920s and early 1930s, the property was a large home owned by a Jewish family. During the Nazi era, the Jewish family was displaced and the house was appropriated as a home for the minister of religion of the Third Reich. After the war, the home became the property of the city of Berlin and remained unused until two decades ago when it was leased to Touro Berlin. Since then, the building has enabled Touro to educate a diverse group of students. We offer an undergraduate program with a masters in Holocaust studies and tolerance, and an MBA program, among other courses of study.

On the first day, I had a chance to speak with some of the student leaders, faculty and staff, as well as to meet with the president of Victoria University. We discussed some potential collaborations, an essential dialogue given these were important conversations given the current global situation.