Paul Oestreicher facts for kids
Paul Oestreicher (born September 29, 1931) is an Anglican priest and a Quaker. He is famous for working for peace and human rights around the world. He has received an award called the OBE for his important work.
Contents
Paul Oestreicher's Story
Early Life and Moving to New Zealand
Paul Oestreicher was born in Germany. In 1938, when he was a young boy, his family had to leave their home. This was because his father had Jewish family roots, and it was a dangerous time in Germany.
They found a safe place to live in New Zealand in 1939. Paul grew up there. He studied Political Science and German Literature at universities in New Zealand. He wrote a special paper about people who refused to fight in World War II because of their beliefs.
Becoming a Priest and Working for Peace
After university, Paul moved to Germany for two years. He studied Christianity and Marxism. From 1956 to 1958, he trained to become an Anglican priest. He married Lore Feind, and they had four children together.
In 1959, he became a deacon in London, and a priest a year later. He worked in a church in East London.
From 1964 to 1969, Paul worked with the British Council of Churches. He helped improve relationships between countries in the East and West. He also joined the Christian Peace Conference, a group that worked for peace. He often spoke out against Soviet policies. Because of this, he was removed from the group's leadership in 1968.
Paul visited East Germany many times before the Berlin Wall fell. He said his "parish" (like his church area) stretched from East Berlin all the way to Vladivostok in Russia.
Helping Others and Fighting for Justice
Paul was a member of the Church of England's main council from 1970 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 1997. He was also a church leader in Blackheath. He was a strong supporter of women becoming priests.
In 1974, he was asked to help end a long hunger strike by some prisoners in West Germany. He tried to help the prisoners and the government talk to each other. He was partly successful in this difficult task.
In 1979, he encouraged Helen Bamber to start the Medical Foundation for Care of Victims of Torture. This group helps people who have been hurt by torture. Later, in 1995, he became the President of another group called Action by Christians Against Torture.
From 1981 to 1985, Paul worked for the British Council of Churches again. He was involved in the Anti-Apartheid Movement. This movement fought against the unfair system of racial separation in South Africa. He later helped end fighting between different groups in South Africa.
During this time, he also became a member of the Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. He helped raise money to rebuild the Frauenkirche church in Dresden, Germany, which was destroyed in a war.
In 1985, Paul was chosen to be a Bishop in New Zealand. However, the church leaders decided not to approve this choice.
Working at Coventry Cathedral
From 1985 to 1997, Paul worked at Coventry Cathedral in the UK. He was a Canon and led the International Centre for Reconciliation. This center helps people and groups make peace after conflicts. He continued this work even after he retired.
In 1993, he spent a year studying how churches and governments worked together in East Germany.
After retiring in 1998, Paul continued to advise Coventry Cathedral. His first wife, Lore, passed away in 2000.
He then moved to Brighton. In 2002, he married his second wife, Barbara Einhorn. She is a professor who studies gender. They had met before when Paul helped her after she was arrested in East Germany for helping a women's peace group. In 2010, they both taught at a peace studies center in New Zealand. They are also founding members of a group called Jews for Justice for Palestinians.
From 2004 to 2009, Paul was a Quaker chaplain at the University of Sussex.
In 2011, he gave an important speech about ending war at a big peace meeting in Kingston, Jamaica.
A Lifelong Pacifist
Paul Oestreicher has always believed in pacifism, which means he believes that war and violence are wrong. He helped start the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship in New Zealand. He is also a Vice-President of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, a group that wants to get rid of nuclear weapons. He joined Amnesty International when it started in 1961. This group works to protect human rights around the world. He was the head of Amnesty International UK from 1975 to 1979.
In 2020, Paul and his wife moved back to New Zealand. They now live in Wellington.
In 2022, Paul Oestreicher received the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award. This was for all his amazing work for peace, human rights, and helping people come together.
Awards and Honors
Paul Oestreicher has received many awards for his important work:
- Federal Service Cross first class (1995)
- Honorary Citizen of Meiningen, Germany (1995)
- Wartburg Prize for helping European unity (1997)
- Award of Merit, Coventry, UK (2002)
- Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony, Germany (2004)
Honorary Doctorates
He has also received several honorary doctorates from universities:
- DD Lambeth UK (2008)
- DLitt Coventry Polytechnic (1991)
- LLD University of Sussex UK (2005)
- DD University of Otago New Zealand (2009)
See also
- List of peace activists
