Private tour in Berlin Rafael K
5.0
(7) reviews
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Rafael K.
5.0
Guide rating
72
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Hello! Berlin is a physical space and a human artifact - nature and polis. Its present is shaped by its past, and its daily life stumbles upon history. Berlin is also my object of study. For my M.A. and PhD research, I investigated Berlin-related events and figures: from the rise of nationalism in the 19th century to the culmination of Nazi racism in the 20th; from the arrival of the first Jewish families in the 17th century to the assimilation of thousands of Jews into Germanness; from Heinrich Heine to Hannah Arendt; from Karl Marx to Karl Liebknecht. Berlin is also home for me. I’ve lived in Neukölln, Friedrichshain, Prenzlauer Berg, and Mitte. Its parks, streets, and memorials are sources of meaning and triggers of imagination. Born in Brazil, and having lived in Spain, I’ve chosen Berlin for these reasons. Here, I combine my academic formation - PhD (Philosophy), M.A. (Political Philosophy), and B.A. (Social Communications) - with my passion for a city of multiple faces and meanings. It oddly combines its Slavic, French, and Prussian heritage; the "Golden Twenties" and the tragic vibrancy of the Weimar years; the counter-cultural impulses from the 1960s to the 2000s; the Nazi destruction; the traces of the Cold War; and the lively, present contradictions of this reunified city. I invite you to think of and experience Berlin with me. Dr. in political philosophy - CAPES Fellowship M.A. in political philosophy - CAPES Fellowship Short-listed for a fellowship in European-Jewish studies Official guide at the Jewish Museum Berlin (JMB) I am not a driver, but I can arrange for a separate car and driver if the traveller wants it.
Have a question or want to customize this tour? Message Rafael K.
In this tour, you'll explore the topic I studied in my PhD: the history of modern Jews in Europe. As a Brazilian citizen with German and Jewish background, I invite you to walk and see how the Jewish experience became part of Berlin's identity: German Jews have risen to unimaginable peaks and fallen into a dark abyss. They lived in German territories as complete strangers inhabiting ghettos (before the 19th century), they became emancipated citizens and enjoyed social assimilation (19th century and early 20th), and finally, they faced an unprecedented form of persecution, attack, and destruction (after 1933). The history of Jews in modern Germany started with Moses Mendelssohn, the "German Socrates", admired by his peers and readers, and ended with the anonymous death of millions in centers of annihilation. How was it possible? We are going to explore this question (defined by Hannah Arendt as the "burden of our times"), walking and thinking in the historical district of Mitte
- Alexanderplatz: the 50 families from Viena and the notion of the "protected" Jew - Moses Mendelssohn's House - the merging of Judaism and Enlightenment - Block of Women - resisting Nazi racial laws - Haus Schwarzenberg - doing right in dark times: the example of Otto Weidt - Moses Mendelssohn School - an education that goes beyond the "ghetto" - Old Jewish Cemetery - the destruction of life and death - Neue Synagogue - assimilation, integration, or difference? - The Room Left Behind - end and new beginnings of German-Jewish life; I am more than willing to customize this tour according to your preferences. Please contact me for a customized tour
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Walking tour. (subway, only if the traveller asks to be picked up in an alternative starting point)
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Airport: ,Cruise: ,ByGuide: Alexanderplatz, in front the Tk Maxx store, facing the entrance to the TV Tower
7 reviews
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