With greetings from Israel, Dr Ludwig Spaenle and the Mayor of Icking, Verena Reithmann
On 12 May Eggenberg secondary and primary school jointly commemorated the founding of the State of Israel on 14 May 1948. At the ceremony, pupils read out a greeting from an Israeli teacher with whom the school had already worked: “Standing together is a gain for all of us, it can move mountains. When you raise the Israeli flag today, we say ‘Lechaim’ as a PROSIT – that means: To life! Shalom and all our love, Tamar Bruck, Israel.”
Some Year 11 pupils presented facts about the state of Israel, such as the fact that it was the first and only state to be founded by the United Nations. The former Bavarian Minister of Education, Dr Ludwig Spaenle, recalled the subsequent threat in his greeting to St. Anna Colleg: “The first bomb hit Tel Aviv on 15 May 1948.”
Dr Spaenle continued: “I myself acknowledge my deep friendship with Israel and am committed to the state of Israel and to Jewish life there as well as everywhere else and, of course, especially in Bavaria. Standing up for the existence and security of Israel is important. … With this in mind, I would like to thank St. Anna College and its students and teachers for commemorating the anniversary of the founding of the state and wish them every success!”
The students received another dedicated greeting from the mayor of Icking, Verena Reithmann. She recalled the local connection to Jewish life and “the German responsibility for back then and the responsibility for the Jews in Israel and in Germany today”.
Afterwards, the students were served a pomegranate drink and something sweet from Israel in the cafeteria.