At a visit to the Kotel he felt a spiritual awakening he had never known before. A kindly Orthodox
man, watching him in his reverie, approached and encouraged him to seek out and reclaim his
neshamah (soul).
Bernd returned to Germany, completed his medical degree, converted to Judaism, and made aliyah.
These acts severed whatever bond was left with his father and family. In Israel, Bernd joined the Israeli
Defense Forces as a medical officer, served for two years in the West Bank during the first Intifada,
married and had a son. The First Gulf War frightened his American-born wife, and so with a heavy
heart he agreed for her sake to move to Florida. They divorced three years later. Bernd remarried and
had two more Jewish children. Today he practices as a family physician in Miami, Florida, where he
was awarded family doctor of the year by the Florida Academy of Family Physicians in 2012
Bernd’s courage to confront the truth and the transformation he underwent in order to create a new life
despite his family’s past amazes and inspires. His personal story reflects the courage and conviction of
a young man seeking change from the values and ideology he was brought up on and touches the heart
of everyone who hears it. Tamar Lazarus, President of WIZO South Africa who accompanied him
throughout his visit spoke about the powerful message he conveys "Do not hate. The language of hate
is very powerful. Words can sprout into deeds; unchallenged deeds can become habits. Tolerated habits
can influence character formation, which can become norms. As a society, we don’t learn. It’s easier to
hate than take a corrective stance. We shouldn't re-live the mistakes of the past; rather use the past as a
guide to better our future. We all have choices and change is always possible against all odds.”
Bnoth Zion WIZO Cape Town host Dr Bernd Wollschlaeger
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