In the world to come I shall not be asked, ‘Why were you not Moses?’ I shall be asked, ‘Why were you not Zusya?’Rabbi Zusya

More Than A Village

Jamel in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is a rural village in northeastern Germany, once part of Eastern Germany where being right-wing is the norm. A neo-Nazi leader, Sven Kruger, has become a de-facto village elder. Anyone who doesn’t share the right’s view is shunned, criticized or harassed in a number of ways. Horst and Birgit Lohmeyer bought a home in the village because it is within their price range unaware of what they were getting into. Their efforts to get the authorities involved have failed. A few months ago the vice president of Germany’s federal government visited the village and spent half an hour in their living room promising support in their fight against the neo-Nazis, but nothing happened and nothing has changed.
It looks like Jamel is more than just a village, it carries a message or at least raises the questions to help us figure out the message. Should neo-Nazis have a place to call their own? Ought they to have the right to their own views? Can they be allowed to be in a position where their views can influence others and be imposed upon them? Could such a village occur in the U.S. or the U.K.?