Being different is also okay

Uwe Dziuballa

"If not for the good food, then for a good book," answers Uwe Dziuballa with a twinkle in his eye when asked why guests like to visit his restaurant Schalom. A bookshelf with novels, exhibition catalogues and non-fiction books stands in the middle of the small restaurant near the Brühl. Dziuballa has been running the Jewish restaurant together with his brother for 17 years. In November 2012, they moved into their new home in Heinrich-Zille-Straße, where they not only offer new flavours, but also culture.

Shalom is the only Jewish restaurant in the whole of Saxony! Why are such restaurants so rare?
Uwe Dziuballa: The effort involved in running a Jewish restaurant and offering kashrut, the Jewish dietary laws, is much greater than in a normal restaurant. As we need kosher ingredients, we can't get everything locally. We have to plan ahead for the whole year. This means we can't take advantage of special offers. There are only seven privately run restaurants like ours in the whole of Germany.
Kashrut, the Jewish dietary regulations, dictate how food is prepared and eaten. For example, only animals with cloven hooves and ruminants may be eaten. Pork is therefore forbidden. Fish must have fins and scales in order to be considered kosher. In addition, meaty foods may not be eaten at the same time as dairy foods. On the menu, the dishes are therefore labelled with an "F" for meaty or a "P" for parve (translated: neutral).

What is your recipe for success?
Because the Jewish community here in Chemnitz is so small, we have been very open to visitors right from the start. 90 per cent of our guests are not from the city. Only ten per cent have a Jewish background and come because they want food that is prepared according to the rules of kashrut. So we also see ourselves in competition with non-Jewish establishments. It's primarily about immersing yourself in the aura of Jewish life and good flavour.

Dziuballa is particularly pleased when visitors from all over Germany regularly come to his restaurant: "Some of them don't even know whether they are travelling to Chemnitz for the opera or the good food." Even among the seven establishments in Germany, "Schalom" takes a top spot, Dziuballa is certain. When a film crew wanted to make a film about kosher cuisine, they first called Munich, Berlin and Hamburg. They all referred them to Chemnitz and it was only after the film team heard Chemnitz for the third time that they finally came here. Shalom has also made a name for itself internationally. He himself was recommended his own restaurant on the beach in Tel Aviv, he reveals.

How did you organise yourselves?
We are a family business. Our mother takes care of the quality and cleanliness of the restaurant. My brother, who graduated in Jerusalem, is responsible for ensuring that the kashrut is observed. And I am responsible for the commercial side. We are also permanently present. Our guests appreciate that.

Do you want more people to eat kosher?
Not necessarily. We wanted to buck the trend of "ever faster, ever cheaper" and show what else is out there. That you can offer different things within the limited range that religion dictates. Our last bestseller was quince stuffed with minced lamb. We proved that Jewish cuisine can be surprising and varied.

Do you have to explain a lot to your guests?
All the time, actually. That's my brother's main job. We also have requests from PhD students for their research in Middle Eastern studies. I've also been teaching ethics in schools since 2004. Incidentally, the bookshelf is not just for decoration. Many visitors come here to get information before travelling to Israel. And after their trip, they come back to tell us about it. We are a kind of communication centre.

How do you communicate Jewish culture in your restaurant?
There is the Schalom e. V. organisation, which aims to strengthen Jewish life and culture in Germany and promote German-Jewish interaction in everyday life. The association organises readings, discussions, concerts and lecture series and of course uses our premises for this.

What do you think? Has Jewish life already arrived in everyday life?
The Jewish faith is not part of everyday life. There are simply too few Jews living in Germany for them to be recognised everywhere. What has improved is acceptance. I can see that at the Days of Jewish Culture, for example. The quality has always been right here and a circle of visitors is reached that extends across the entire city and doesn't just always bring the same people together. And our restaurant has also helped people realise: ok, it's different here. But being different is also okay.

Anyone who orders tomato soup at Schalom will also realise that it tastes different than expected. Dziuballa knows of a special interpretation: "It stands for love. It starts off very sweet. It becomes more savoury towards the end," he says smugly. He observes that in the past, guests didn't dare to say if it didn't taste good - "out of false consideration or whatever". That has now changed. And he would be pleased with the honest feedback.

What do people say about your own beer brand SIMCHA?
At first, everyone just laughed at the idea. But we made a virtue out of necessity. There were regular bottlenecks with our drinks deliveries. But we couldn't imagine a kosher restaurant without certified beer. Now our guests realise that there is also Jewish Pilsner, which is produced differently but is actually just a beer.

The Purity Law is not enough?
No, there are additional things to consider at almost every stage of the process. The ingredients must be certified kosher. No pesticides may be used on the hops. Harvesting may only be carried out within a certain time window. The brewing kettle may only be cleaned with cleaning agents that do not contain any animal ingredients. There must be no mixed production. It must mature in a silo for six weeks. When bottling, the rubber hose may only be a few centimetres long. It needs its own well. Spiritual things are interwoven in between, for example when my brother says the blessing. Ultimately, it's a different production process, but it's the product that counts. And that's good. By the way, SIMCHA is Hebrew and means joy. We now export the beer throughout Germany and beyond. It is the only kosher-certified pilsner.

Although Uwe Dziuballa was born in Karl-Marx-Stadt, he spent most of his childhood and youth in Yugoslavia. When his parents gave up their international life, they returned to Chemnitz. The brothers travelled to America and Israel. But after their father's death in 1993, they all wondered what to do next. "We spent three days and two nights wrestling with the pros and cons," he recalls. In the end, they both decided: Chemnitz - come what may.

Would you make the decision again?
At the time, we didn't realise what it would ultimately mean. We didn't realise how much time and energy it would take to be a restaurateur. I have no idea whether I would take that step again now. But we have the early days behind us and have survived some difficult phases. And now, at the new location, we're doing really well. It also has the great advantage of getting to know people you wouldn't otherwise meet.

Chemnitz is applying to become the European Capital of Culture. What do you want to achieve by 2025?
I think the bid to become European Capital of Culture is really good and ambitious. We have to succeed in involving as many Chemnitz residents as possible. That's difficult in the city because people don't have such a positive perception of their city. We want to run Schalom in a stable way and continue to develop it as a cultural meeting place. For example, we have developed a map of the city that shows the traces of Jewish life in the city. A small idea that will hopefully have a big impact. And I would like to see further internationalisation of the city.