A new article on the web-project “Boundless” about a Japanese-Israeli couple living in Berlin:
Middle East and Far East united in Berlin
Masayo and Omer live in a big old apartment in the Berliner district of Neukölln. “Many artists form Spain and the USA moved here recently because the rents are so cheap”, explains Masayo, who works as a filmmaker, video-artist and translator. In the evenings, the neighbourhood around the Reuter Square is a real party district. It gets very lively. Now the children are playing outside. It’s a sunny spring morning. The apartment’s windows are open and we sit down on the low based futon bed.
Masayo was born and raised in West-Berlin. She is surprised about the rapid change of the once divided city. Omer came to the German capital, when it was already reunited for almost ten years. After a journey throughout Europe, he just stood in Berlin and started to learn a Japanese martial art.
„Aikido is a method of movement which brings people together. That actually happens in every encounter. There is always a certain point of time when things begin to evolve together. Aikido deals exactly with that. The ‘I’ is not at stake, what matters is the ‘we’. The ‘we’ is part of the moving universe. This appeals to me, and it looks beautiful, too”, says Omer.
Masayo started to learn Aikido at the same time in the same Dojo in the Berliner district of Kreuzberg. Before falling in love with each other, they had trained together for seven years.
It was only when they became a couple that Omer went to Japan for the first time to do a yearlong on Aikido training. By now he gives Aikido classes himself. Since he returned he has a better feeling for Masayos’ cultural habits, says Omer. In Aikido it is important to have a very good command of the basic movements. “This importance of the small things and to some extent the perfect control of them is something you also find in Japanese culture. Repeating the basic movements of Aikido three thousand times…And then you’re just at the beginning of your path. It’s a different understanding of action and patience.”
The couple has also travelled to the country Omer comes from. They have been in Israel three times. “It was important for me to see where Omer grew up, to meet his childhood friends and, of course, to get to know his family”, says Masayo. Especially because Israel is in so much conflict, she understands now why Aikido has such a big meaning for Omer. “Cultural differences, however, have not played an important role in our relationship.” Both are influenced by many different backgrounds. Masayos’ parents, who moved to West-Berlin during the 70ies, taught her a lot about Japanese culture. Omer’s grand parents come from Poland; his parents however are from Israel.
„I can’t really say what is ‘typically German’ or ‘typically Japanese’. As a Israeli of Polish descent who lives in Berlin and practices a Japanese martial art, she is just a perfect match for me”, says the Aikido master and adds: “We found each other on the base of diversity.”
There are not many Israeli things in their apartment, except for some books in Hebrew. A futon bed and many other Japanese objects dominate the space. In the kitchen they mostly cook Japanese meals. But still, the couple says: “No culture dominates this household. The thing is Omer simply doesn’t have many belongings…And I have been the one who has been furnishing the place. Maybe that’s just a gender thing, and not something cultural”, says Masayo and laughs.
“Omer brings more spiritual things along and they’re just not so visible.” Religion plays an important part in Omer’s life. He reads all kinds of books: from the Thora to Zen-Buddhism to the Q’ran. „… and I see myself as an Israeli and as a Jew. Although I can’t really say I’m orthodox…” As a Jew you are not allowed to have a relationship with a Non-Jew. That is actually a delicate matter in Israel, says Omer. This is a good reason for him not to live there. Omer’s relationship with a Non-Jew, however, was not so shocking for his parents: “I was married to a German girl before. For my parents it was somehow clear that I would stay here in Berlin and probably not fall in love with a Jew.”
Depending on the country where they are, they are given more or less sideways glances when strolling together hand in hand on the streets. In Japan it was a matter of who you meet, explains Masayo: “I noticed a lack of understanding for our relationship with conservative people having a purist notion of ‘being Japanese’. In Israel I can’t really perceive anything as I’m seen as a funny bird there anyway. In Israel I’m not German, nor Christian, nor Muslim, nor Jew. I’m kind of neutral in a way.” Berlin is the more relaxed place to live, says the couple, although: “the combination of an ‘Asian woman’ with a ‘white man’ still provokes many clichés”, says Masayo. It is possible, however, to ignore the prying eyes, says Omer: “You can choose to be affected by these gazes or just say “I don’t care. That’s not important.”
Omer feels the same about the category “binational couple”. “Yeah, sure, you can call us binational. But when it comes down to it, it’s just Masayo and Omer, that’s it.” Masayo agrees on that. “Binationalism is just a small part of who we are. Life is bigger than that.”
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BOUNDLESS, Binational couples and multicultural families
A new article on the web-project “Boundless” about a Japanese-Israeli couple living in Berlin:
Middle East and Far East united in Berlin
Masayo and Omer live in a big old apartment in the Berliner district of Neukölln. “Many artists form Spain and the USA moved here recently because the rents are so cheap”, explains Masayo, who works as a filmmaker, video-artist and translator. In the evenings, the neighbourhood around the Reuter Square is a real party district. It gets very lively. Now the children are playing outside. It’s a sunny spring morning. The apartment’s windows are open and we sit down on the low based futon bed.
Masayo was born and raised in West-Berlin. She is surprised about the rapid change of the once divided city. Omer came to the German capital, when it was already reunited for almost ten years. After a journey throughout Europe, he just stood in Berlin and started to learn a Japanese martial art.
„Aikido is a method of movement which brings people together. That actually happens in every encounter. There is always a certain point of time when things begin to evolve together. Aikido deals exactly with that. The ‘I’ is not at stake, what matters is the ‘we’. The ‘we’ is part of the moving universe. This appeals to me, and it looks beautiful, too”, says Omer.
Masayo started to learn Aikido at the same time in the same Dojo in the Berliner district of Kreuzberg. Before falling in love with each other, they had trained together for seven years.
It was only when they became a couple that Omer went to Japan for the first time to do a yearlong on Aikido training. By now he gives Aikido classes himself. Since he returned he has a better feeling for Masayos’ cultural habits, says Omer. In Aikido it is important to have a very good command of the basic movements. “This importance of the small things and to some extent the perfect control of them is something you also find in Japanese culture. Repeating the basic movements of Aikido three thousand times…And then you’re just at the beginning of your path. It’s a different understanding of action and patience.”
The couple has also travelled to the country Omer comes from. They have been in Israel three times. “It was important for me to see where Omer grew up, to meet his childhood friends and, of course, to get to know his family”, says Masayo. Especially because Israel is in so much conflict, she understands now why Aikido has such a big meaning for Omer. “Cultural differences, however, have not played an important role in our relationship.” Both are influenced by many different backgrounds. Masayos’ parents, who moved to West-Berlin during the 70ies, taught her a lot about Japanese culture. Omer’s grand parents come from Poland; his parents however are from Israel.
„I can’t really say what is ‘typically German’ or ‘typically Japanese’. As a Israeli of Polish descent who lives in Berlin and practices a Japanese martial art, she is just a perfect match for me”, says the Aikido master and adds: “We found each other on the base of diversity.”
There are not many Israeli things in their apartment, except for some books in Hebrew. A futon bed and many other Japanese objects dominate the space. In the kitchen they mostly cook Japanese meals. But still, the couple says: “No culture dominates this household. The thing is Omer simply doesn’t have many belongings…And I have been the one who has been furnishing the place. Maybe that’s just a gender thing, and not something cultural”, says Masayo and laughs.
“Omer brings more spiritual things along and they’re just not so visible.” Religion plays an important part in Omer’s life. He reads all kinds of books: from the Thora to Zen-Buddhism to the Q’ran. „… and I see myself as an Israeli and as a Jew. Although I can’t really say I’m orthodox…” As a Jew you are not allowed to have a relationship with a Non-Jew. That is actually a delicate matter in Israel, says Omer. This is a good reason for him not to live there. Omer’s relationship with a Non-Jew, however, was not so shocking for his parents: “I was married to a German girl before. For my parents it was somehow clear that I would stay here in Berlin and probably not fall in love with a Jew.”
Depending on the country where they are, they are given more or less sideways glances when strolling together hand in hand on the streets. In Japan it was a matter of who you meet, explains Masayo: “I noticed a lack of understanding for our relationship with conservative people having a purist notion of ‘being Japanese’. In Israel I can’t really perceive anything as I’m seen as a funny bird there anyway. In Israel I’m not German, nor Christian, nor Muslim, nor Jew. I’m kind of neutral in a way.” Berlin is the more relaxed place to live, says the couple, although: “the combination of an ‘Asian woman’ with a ‘white man’ still provokes many clichés”, says Masayo. It is possible, however, to ignore the prying eyes, says Omer: “You can choose to be affected by these gazes or just say “I don’t care. That’s not important.”
Omer feels the same about the category “binational couple”. “Yeah, sure, you can call us binational. But when it comes down to it, it’s just Masayo and Omer, that’s it.” Masayo agrees on that. “Binationalism is just a small part of who we are. Life is bigger than that.”