The Jews are not just part of the past, but a living and growing community. Today's Jewish immigrants also come predominantly from the East, and they stay in Berlin. Jewish and Russian, but somewhat German, too. But within Europe, no single metropolis can claim to be the defining center. The network itself is the defining entity.
Berlin can be a world-class city if it reaches out.
But if it cringes, it will miss its chance. For a capitalist democracy to digest a state socialist dictatorship is a heavy lunch. Faiths, myths and memory live side by side. Like a sunken continent, the G.D.R. has moved into the memory of individuals. Since it is no longer a menacing power, it has become a community of nostalgia.