A visit by two Israeli tourists to Germany’s Black Forest revealed more surprises than could ever have expected
By Motti Verses
A few years ago, before Covid, my longtime friend, a PR expert and writer, Itzhak Rabihiya, shared with me a story of one of his very special clients. A group of Christians from Germany, had brought in 2019 to Jerusalem a 120-kg gilded golden menorah. Modeled after the menorah depicted on the Arch of Titus in Rome, the replica of the Temple candelabra measured 150 cm. The Germans raised €120,000 with private donations to fund the initiative and at the time explained their motivation:
“The church never returned the holy candelabra back to the Jewish people and we want to make amends. By our bringing of this iconic and historically so symbolic menorah, we are conveying a public message towards the Jewish people and asking for forgiveness. It’s our way of returning after 2000 years, the menorah from Rome to Jerusalem.”
I must say that this surprising initiative – which they termed “The Menorah Project” – was hard for me to fully comprehend. Anyway, over the years, the story turned into a fuzzy memory until a week ago, when Rabihiya and myself participated in a media trip that included visiting tourist attractions in Germany’s Black Forest. “You’re not going to believe this,” said Rabihiya. “You remember those Christian Germans and the menorah project from a few years back, well; they heard we were in their neighborhood and have invited us to visit.” Intrigued, we accepted the invitation and made the necessary arrangements.
Deep in the Schwarzwald, Germany’s Black Forest is a picturesque region with enchanting attractions. Known for its dense, evergreen forests and picturesque villages, it is often associated with the Brothers Grimm fairy tales and the cuckoo clocks.
It was a late afternoon and we programmed our vehicle’s GPS to the town of Altensteig. Certainly not a destination for the average tourist but to us visiting Israelis, it would prove an experience that I will always cherish! We planned to meet a woman, Delly Hezel, the power-house behind the Christian Germans group, supporting Israel. The forest suddenly thinned out when the small town came into sight. Our destination was a quiet street in a modest neighborhood. Delly opened the front door of her apartment and welcomed us in with a wide smile. Inside the living room, her decorations blew my mind.
There were flags of Israel hanging on the windows; pictures and sculptures of Jewish menorahs, a gigantic board of ‘Shema Israel’, copious souvenirs from Israel and wherever I looked, symbols of Judaism. Her welcome and warmth was so touching especially during these turbulent times of rising global antisemitism and to discover such a heartfelt connection in the heart of Germany’s Black Forest, was so overwhelmingly.
Who are they – these surprise supporters of Israel tucked away in Germany’s Black Forest? Founded 26 years ago at the time when Israel celebrated its 50th Independence Day, ‘Christians for Israel – Germany’ initiates projects for Israel, raising 1 million Euro every year. However, since the October 7th massacre, the involvement has intensified. Many protests and gatherings in support of Israel have been held in Berlin as well as in their region. A website “Israel at war” that shows ways to support Israel was created and survivors of the massacre were hosted by the group in the Black Forest to help with their recovery process. Delly has visited Israel seven times since the war started to show support. Additional organization members joined, embracing the motto:
‘Be present MORE in Israel, NOT less’
Partnering with the Jewish National Fund (JNF), Keren Hayesod and the Jewish Agency, since the massacre, ‘Christians for Israel-Germany’ have raised over 600.000 Euro in support of Israel.
A short time after our arrival, Markus Neumann,the organization’s energetic deputy, joined us, and told us to climb into the waiting vehicles as we were being hosted for dinner in Bondorf, a small pastoral village, a half-an-hour drive east of Altensteig. The host was Luca Hezel, Delly’s son, head of ‘Christians for Israel- Germany’.
Climbing the stairs to the penthouse apartment, leaving our shoes outside, we were warmly greeted by Luca, his wife Sonja and their two small blonde children Avi and Noa. For a brief moment, I thought Sonja and Luca were the busy ones in the kitchen. During the drive, I had imagined a dish of Bratwurst, a type of German sausage made from pork, beef, or veal. That culinary imagery faded rather quickly when I saw who was really busy in the kitchen! To our complete surprise, it were two Israelis, Avishay Argentaro from Kfar Aza, the kibbutz near Gaza that had been turned into a site of carnage on October 7, and his friend Zadok Aktzin from Ben Shemen, a moshav in central Israel.
Argentaro’s story left us breathless.
He related how on October 7, he together with his wife and their two children, they survived nearly 22 hours of terror. During these torturous hours, they hid in the dark, heard terrorists shooting around them and received messages of cries for help from their friends and neighbors. A few weeks later, Argentaro – who previously had participated in the ‘Chef Games’ television program – decided to embark on a culinary venture where he visits homes, cooks for the residents and talks about life on his kibbutz, where he has lived all his life.
Quite amazingly, long before the massacre of October 7, 2023, Argentaro and the ‘Christians for Israel-Germany’ had built up an endearing and enduring relationship for “Already some 12 years.” Now however, it was Argentaro first time in Germany and after our unexpected evening, he was set to culinary engage with local German communities in the Black Forest by cooking dinners and speaking about life in Israel.
“The diners will enjoy my gastronomy, but I will also tell them my story of October 7th and what Israel has been going through since,” he said. Argentaro’s dinner in the Black Forest started with the Birkat Hamazon (‘grace’) and all the participants followed with “Amen”. The meal included homemade Hummus, Shakshuka, baked cauliflower, Israeli salads and other familiar dishes we enjoy daily in Israel. It was certainly an evening to remember.
Delly’s admiration of Judaism and the people of Israel is remarkable. I wanted to understand why, with so much passion for the Israel and Judaism, she doesn’t convert. She explained:
“I believe in Hashem, Abraham, Izik and Jacob and also in Jesus. But not as a God like Christianity is believing. I believe Jesus was a Rabbi with followers. For me he is the Messiah and when he comes, we can ask him if it is his first visit or his second. This is the only difference we have.”
The Black Forest may well be an area full of surprises for tourists but for us two visiting Israelis, our experience with the wonderful people of Christians for Israel-Germany was something I can only describe in biblical parlance – It was a ‘Revelation’!
* ‘Christians for Israel – Germany’ website: www.csi-aktuell.de
** Linkdin:
About the writer:
The writer, Motti Verses, is a Travel Flash Tips publisher. His travel stories are published on THE TIMES OF ISRAEL https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/motti-verses/.
And his hospitality analysis reviews on THE JERUSALEM POST, are available on his Linkedin page LinkedIn Israelhttps://il.linkedin.com › motti-verse…Motti Verses – Publisher and Chief Editor – TRAVEL FLASH TIPS
And his hospitality analysis reviews on THE JERUSALEM POST, are available on his Linkedin page LinkedIn Israelhttps://il.linkedin.com › motti-verse…Motti Verses – Publisher and Chief Editor – TRAVEL FLASH TIPS
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