The German-Jewish Community History Council, GerSIG and the Berlin
Parliament are pleased to announce their Call for Nominations for the
annual awards to be given to non-Jewish Germans who have made
extraordinary contributions to preserving the Jewish history, culture,
cemeteries and synagogues in their local communities. Thousands of
Germans have carried out such activities as volunteers because they feel
it is the right thing to do - the preservation of Jewish material is one
of the few ways in which they can respond constructively to their
country's horrible past. We, as Jewish genealogists, have been the
recipients of their good work.

The deadline for submission of nominations is September 20, 2004.

Many of you previously submitted worthy nominations. Those nominees who have
already received Certificates of Commendation are prime candidates for
this year's awards, and will only require updating of the submissions.

This will be the fifth year for such awards, which will be given on
January 27, 2005, the German Holocaust Memorial Day (the anniversary of
the liberation of Auschwitz). Each awardee and their spouse will be
invited on an all expenses paid trip to Berlin to receive the award at
the Plenary Chamber of the Abgeordnetenhaus, the home of the Berlin
Parliament. The awardees will also be honored guests at the German
Bundestag memorial event on that day. The honorees will receive a
framed certificate and an honorarium to be used for the furtherance of
their work. Awardees' contributions will be described to attendees and
to the local, national and international news media.

These awards have in the past received extensive news coverage,
including The New York Times, the Associated Press, Jewish Telegraphic
Agency, and a great many German daily and weekly newspapers, as well as
specific articles in American Jewish weeklies. This past year, there
were also articles in the Washington Post, the Miami Herald, and
numerous overseas newspapers, including Ha'aretz and the Jerusalem
Post. There will also be an article in the Summer 2004 issue of Stammbaum.

This provides Jews throughout the world with the opportunity to
recognize and honor German individuals who, in many cases, have devoted
their lifetimes to such important endeavors. If you know someone who
may be appropriate for nomination, further information -- including the
Call for Nominations and profiles of previous award winners and the jury
-- can be obtained at:

http://www.obermayer.us/award

You may obtain a hard copy of the Call for Nominations by sending an
email to:

germanaward@hotmail.com

or a letter to the German-Jewish Community History Council, 239 Chestnut
Street, West Newton, MA 02465 USA or to Hendrik Kuebler, Referat
Protokoll, Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin, D-10111 Berlin-Mitte Germany.

Remember that the deadline for submission of nominations is September 20, 2004.

Arthur Obermayer West Newton, MA obermayer@alum.mit.edu