Page 9 - C.A.L.L. #21 - Spring 2003
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The Bruderhof Return to Germany MY VISION FOR ZEGG
BY CORNELIA
We have at last bought the first house that our
Bruderhof movement started in, in Sannerz, I am deeply concerned with the inner construction and development of
Hessen, Germany. This has been of great ZEGG. We see ZEGG as a training place mainly for ourselves, to be
encouragement and inspiration to us. It is all constantly educated and trained. In this sense I will speak about our work
very exciting for our whole movement. for peace, and try to show how work in a community may be executed.
The most important question of ZEGG is this: what social structure is needed to
A Brief Summary by Ralf Gering: produce love in place of violence, communication in place of competition, trust in
The Bruderhof started in Sannerz, a small place of mistrust, permanence in love in place of fear-of-loss, loneliness and
village in the German Rhön mountains, in 1920. monogamy. This place was bought to investigate these profound questions,
needing time and attention, and this is the aim of the ZEGG center for research
In 1922 they moved to the much larger and study.
Rhönbruderhof and eventually, in 1937, they Not long ago, we established a planning commission which is busy planning and
were expelled by the Gestapo (Secret State preparing the required building facilities. Look at our houses, for instance: up till
Police). Then in 1955 the Bruderhof returned to now we have adjusted ourselves to our existing buildings, which are not very
Germany and started the Bruderhof Burg friendly to the community. Now we are planning anew: what buildings are to be
Hohenstein, Fränkische Alb, from where they preserved – or enlarged for more living space; which area is especially fitting for
moved the following year to the Sinntal our communal life; do we need more room for our seminaries? Do we want a
sacral building, exclusively for meditation,
Bruderhof in Bad Brückenau, Rhön search for God and deepening our relations
mountains. with the world? We have a building here
dedicated to Eros, to sensual encounters, to the
Because of internal problems (the “great crisis”) sacred sexual. I wish we would have a church
the German Bruderhof was dissolved in 1962. as well and hold prayers in community.
The Bruderhof left Germany the second time. For two years now we have been working on our own power-station, to be
operated by vegetable oil!
Then the Bruderhof returned in 1988 to
Germany. They started Bruderhof-House In my opinion, ZEGG is not a spiritual community. But ours is a place where
“Waldfrieden” and six months later spirituality religion are deeply elaborated and can be lived out fully. The re-
Bruderhof “Michaelshof” in the Westerwald connection with the divine forces of the universe are always present in our minds
and discussions. And this is an adventure, like free love…
(“Western Forest”).
Because of the resistance of a right-wing This is the point to come to the subject of our work for peace. The people living
citizen’s group and due to financial problems here at ZEGG, bind themselves also to work at their inner development. It is
caused by a split within the Hutterian Brethren important that we, as a community, cultivate our capacity for harmony, for
Church (from which the Bruderhof was resolving conflicts in a peaceful way. This is a primary condition for our peace
work outside, in wider frameworks.
expelled), the community in Germany was
disbanded in 1995. We foster our connections with peace-workers not only here in Germany, but
throughout the world. Our foreign relations are especially strong with people
Now the Bruderhof is returning to Germany from Israel and Palestine. Some of our members plan to visit Israel/Palestine
the third time, exactly to the house where they next year to strengthen our contact and to support the peace-movement in the
began to live communally 82 years ago. Middle-East… I also plan camps for young people from other crisis regions.
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