(Re)constructing Community in Berlin; Of Jews, Turks and German responsibility

In discussions of citizenship law and concepts of nationhood, Germany has served scholars as a paradigm of ethno-cultural exclusivity. Until recent legislative changes, Germany adhered to the ius sanguinus principle where citizenship is acquired almost exclusively through German ancestry. This paper focuses on the financial aid for the Jewish community and the special immigration rights for Soviet Jews. In addition, it discusses why such exceptions are not made for Turks who arrived as guest-workers in the 1960s. The case study analyses the reasons for differing local government support of the Jewish and Turkish communities in the capital city, Berlin. A series of interviews were conducted with influential city administrators and politicians and Jewish and Turkish leaders during the first half of 1999. This elite-centered approach sheds light on the motivations and the ways in which actors perceive and justify their actions in relation to minority policies. The main finding is that the notion of the imagined community which is used by German elites leads to an institutionalized inclusive-minded policy towards Jews, regardless of nationality, and limited integration help for Turks.