Erosion of Rights: From the Holocaust to the Present – Can It Happen Here?

As part of Temple Beth Am’s unBIASed initiative, we are honored to feature a compelling new exhibit, brought to us in partnership with the American Bar Association and the Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer (German Federal Bar), which will educate our community on the tragic fate of Jewish lawyers in Nazi Germany after 1933. This 25-panel exhibit depicts the humiliation, degradation, and purge from the German legal profession of roughly 5,000 lawyers simply because they had Jewish ancestry.

Jewish lawyers in Berlin suffered greatly once the Nazis came to power. Rampant antisemitism turned into government policy and quickly destroyed democracy in Germany. Yet the German legal system had a long history supporting the rule of law. How did this happen so quickly? Could lawyers have made a difference? Are there lessons for us today?

We invite you to a panel discussion to facilitate this important conversation. Understanding the fate of Jewish lawyers in Berlin after 1933 underscores our shared interest in passing on to future generations the horrors of the Holocaust and the penultimate effect of anti-Semitism while fostering a deeper understanding of the significance of the rule of law and our democratic foundation.

Our Speakers

Rabbi Jeremy Barras, Senior Rabbi of Temple Beth Am

Hon. Scott Bernstein, Circuit Judge, Circuit Unified Children’s Court Division

Edith Osman, Former President of the Florida Bar, 2nd Generation Survivor, VP Events at Temple Beth Am, ADL Executive Committee

Brian Siegal, Director, Miami and Broward American Jewish Committee (AJC)

Andreas Siegel, German Consulate General of Miami

unBIASed – a Temple Beth Am initiative

For more information about the March 28 unBIASed kickoff event…