Volunteerism helps
to heal wounds

By Ruth Rovner
For the Times

Growing up in the small village of Altrich, Germany, Thomas Kiesgen never knew a single Jewish individual. Since he came to Philadelphia last September, however, he’s become acquainted with many Jews in Northeast Philadelphia, including Holocaust survivors.
Kiesgen, 20, is participating in a program for young Germans called Action Reconciliation Service for Peace (ARSP). It was founded in 1948 in Berlin to confront the legacy of the Nazi era by doing good works as a sign of atonement.
Young Germans accepted into this volunteer program are sent abroad for a year of volunteer social service. They take on varied projects as a way to show Germany’s commitment to peace and good will.
In the United States, they assist the elderly, the homeless and the disabled, but a major focus is working with Holocaust survivors and with institutions involved in Holocaust education.
"I’m not responsible for what happened during the Holocaust, but I want to remember and to show that young Germans care," says Kiesgen. "I think we have a responsibility to work for understanding between our generation and the Jewish community."
He’s one of 24 volunteers in America this year. They’re serving in nine cities, including Philadelphia, which is the U.S. headquarters for ARSP. Other ARSP volunteers are at work this year in 12 countries in Eastern and Western Europe and Israel. In all, there are 180 volunteers this year.
"These are young people who want a meaningful experience," says Dr. Matthias Hass, executive director of the U.S. program, whose office is in Center City. "They see themselves as Germans and they feel a responsibility to confront German history.
"But it’s not only looking into the past. It’s doing something to help people here and now. On one level, it’s international relations on a one-to-one basis. Our volunteers are unofficial ambassadors from Germany.
That’s certainly true of Kiesgen’s role. His work with the Jewish community is a collaboration between ARSP and the Jewish Family & Children’s Service. (JFCS).
As a volunteer, he has regularly attended JFCS-sponsored luncheons at three synagogues in Northeast Philadelphia: Beth Ami, Ner Zedek, and Shaare Shamayim.
At each luncheon, he helps set up tables and then interacts with the attendees. Most are elderly Jews, including Holocaust survivors.
"I wondered if there would be hostility," says Kiesgen, who speaks fluent English. "But the exact opposite happened. People have been really friendly, even though they know I’m from Germany."
One woman was especially eager to pour out her story.
"If you’re interested, I’ll tell you," she said.
When he encouraged her, she proceeded to tell him about her deportation to Auschwitz.
"I can’t really comprehend what it was like; I will never understand," says Kiesgen, who marvels that the woman had no bitterness. "After all that happened to her, she still reacts with kindness. The Nazis could not destroy her faith in humanity."
Kiesgen also visits seven elderly Jews in Center City, helping them with shopping and household chores, and also serving as a listener and friend.
He’s formed a special bond with Dorothy Isaacsohn, a Berlin native. When he visits, they speak German together, and he often stays for hours, helping her sort out her German documents and just conversing.
Their friendship grew gradually, and in time she began disclosing details about her past.
"I didn’t push her. I waited until she was ready to talk," he says. "She told me all about how she lived in Berlin and then fled from the Nazis. The cruelty stays in my mind."
Another activity during his year of service relates to the ARSP focus on Holocaust education. Thomas is participating in a program known as Theater of Conscience.
Students in various public schools in Philadelphia and the suburbs first watch a play based on Anne Frank’s diary. Then Kiesgen leads a discussion, encouraging them to ask questions.
"They ask about my family history and what I would have done during the Holocaust," he explains. "They want to know how the Holocaust is taught in Germany, and they ask about anti-Semitism in Germany."
"I love meeting these students and seeing how interested they are in Germany and the Holocaust," says Kiesgen. "Afterwards, some come up to say, ‘You’re doing good work’ Or they ask, ‘How can I do something like this?’"
He asked himself a similar question last year when he was searching for an alternative to military service, which he knew was not right for him. ARSP is one such alternative.
"I was looking for a chance to go abroad and to help people," he says. "But what really appealed to me about ARSP is that they want to work with the Jewish community."
His motivation was even stronger when he learned for the first time that his paternal grandfather was stationed at SS headquarters in Berlin.
"I couldn’t believe it, and I still don’t know exactly what he did," says Kiesgen, who pressed his mother to look into family history. "No one in our family would talk about it. There was only silence."
His grandfather died four years ago.
"So I’ll never be able to ask him about this," he says wistfully.
The discovery made him even more committed to the work of ARSP.
"I see a direct link between what my grandfather did and my own work for reconciliation," he says.
Like other ARSP volunteers, Kiesgen first went through a rigorous 10-month screening process that began with a detailed application and included a three-day seminar in Germany where applicants participated in workshops and were interviewed at length.
Those selected were then assigned to a country and a project based on their interests. Thomas was thrilled to be assigned to the United States, his first choice.
He and the other U.S. volunteers arrived in September and will leave at the end of August. It’s been a memorable year for Kiesgen.
He’s grateful for the opportunity to live in a new country and experience American culture. But even more important, he’s been an unofficial ambassador of good will from Germany.
"Working in the Jewish community has been very special," says Kiesgen. "I’m not only helping individual people, but I’m helping with a larger purpose — to create understanding and good will between young Germans and Jews." ••
For more information about ARSP, visit Web site www.ActionReconciliation.org or contact the program by e-mail at info@ActionReconciliation.org