The practical relevance he appreciated in his business studies at FHWS still shapes his life today: As director of the Central Welfare Board for Jews in Germany, Aron Schuster is committed to the Jewish community, and as a city council member he fights for the interests of the people of Würzburg. How that came about – and what else sets him apart.
At first glance, he seems like a normal bloke. Not wild and adventurous, but not stiff. But you can quickly see that Aron Schuster has a clear idea of what he wants and what he stands for. The 49-year-old is a Würzburger through and through. He studied at FHWS and has also fought for FHWS politically as a city councillor. As Director of the Central Welfare Board of Jews in Germany (ZWST), the father of two – soon to be three – children is also socially dedicated to the Jewish community. Aron Schuster often drives on the A3 when he commutes between his office in Frankfurt and his home in Würzburg. He is relaxed about it: “It simply takes good time management.”
Things were less relaxed at the ZWST in the spring of last year, when the pandemic broke out. There was a lot to do. Many things had to be digitalised, the question of continuation of funding had to be clarified, purchasing aid for holocaust survivors had to be organised, and much more. For Schuster, the very start of the pandemic nevertheless had a certain charm: “The pandemic showed that rapid action is also possible when it has to be. Sometimes we overdo it with deep briefings, feedback loops, preliminary meetings, and so on. A lot of time is lost as a result.” But sadly that will probably quickly be forgotten again. “We Germans love bureaucracy,” he says, rolling his eyes. “What we are best at is setting up huge vaccination centres with complex registration measures. But getting a vaccination simply and easily? Then it falls down.”
From fashion group to welfare organisation
People know the face of Aron Schuster’s father, Dr Josef Schuster, who works as a general practitioner in Würzburg, from the news: the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany is consulted as soon as anything is about Jewish life in Germany. His grandfather had also dedicated himself to the Jewish community. Despite the family tradition, Aron Schuster initially completed studies in business administration at FHWS after his general higher education qualification. “I wanted to keep my options open. And the practical orientation at FHWS impressed me.” Even while still studying, he managed to get a job at s.Oliver Bernd Freier GmbH & Co. KG. After a few years in the planning division at the Rottendorf-based fashion group, he wanted something new. When the ZWST was looking for a Deputy Managing Director in Frankfurt, he spontaneously applied. Successfully. He was then walking in his father’s footsteps. “It wasn’t something I was deliberately striving for. But when we used to sit down to dinner together as a family, the conversation also turned to the Jewish community in Würzburg. Socio-political involvement with the Jewish community was therefore something we learned from a young age, and sooner or later we come back to it,” says Schuster.
In 2018, after his predecessor’s resignation, he assumed the leadership of the ZWST and immediately properly turned things upside down. He started an organisational development process and established several departments. Since then, he has put a great team together, who he has been very grateful for during crisis management in the last year. “He has really put his stamp on things since he has been director. The ZWST has been digitalised, rejuvenated, modernised. It’s a completely new generation,” Michael Schunder, who has done voluntary work for the ZWST for many years and is a long-time friend and companion to Aron Schuster, observes.
Politically active – including for FHWS’ interests
Schuster sits in his rotating desk chair in the office and smiles mischievously into the camera of his PC. His short, dark-blonde hair is gelled. The sleeves of his blue shirt are rolled up. He has spent a lot of time here in these four walls with their somewhat old-fashioned furnishing in the last year. Because most of the city council meetings have also taken place online. When he speaks, he likes to go far afield.
Schuster has been politically active since his school days. When his Gymnasium (secondary school) was set to be merged with another Würzburg school, he joined the student union which opposed it. He enjoyed it and he continued his political involvement. He became treasurer, and then district chairman. At 24, during his period of study, he was elected to the city council. With an average age of 49, he is still among the youngest members of the CSU group today. But that didn’t intimidate him. “I find it exciting to bring my perspective, as a younger person, to the group. And I’d rather be underestimated than overestimated.” He can still remember his maiden speech in the city council well. At the time, there was a citizens’ initiative against the FHWS new build at Sanderheinrichsleitenweg. “I advocated for the project going ahead. And as a student, I was able to give an authentic report on the cramped conditions in the buildings on Sanderstraße,” he remembers.
Schuster doesn’t really fit the image of a typical CSU politician. “Even though it’s called the Christian Social Union, the first association people have is always a rather conservative Bavarian party. But Aron Schuster is rather progressive and socially-minded,” Michael Schunder describes him. But even though it was more local political topics that brought him to the CSU at the time, he still feels comfortable here today when it comes to Federal politics. “Needless to say, I am often asked why I am in the CSU. But I see no difference between my Jewish beliefs and the Christian values of the CSU. Both have their roots in the Old Testament, at least,” says Schuster.
A family man who loves his homeland
For Aron Schuster, his family is the most important thing. “Seeing my children grow up, how they develop and become their own people, that just makes me happy,” he says with a smile. “The question is always: when are you satisfied in life? Someone once said to me, once you can sleep well at night.” And he can. The family lives according to the traditional Jewish commandments. “The major holidays and commandments which my parents passed on to me, rules on kosher food and the Shabbat. I try to maintain them with my family,” says Schuster. During the pandemic, they spent even more time together.
What was no longer possible: watching football in the stadium. A great shame for a passionate football fan like Aron Schuster. “Of course, I also follow the football matches on TV. But live is simply something else,” the Würzburger Kickers fan says and grins. “They are my greatest passion, really. Even as a young boy, I always went along to the Baskets or Kickers games. And I still enjoy it today.” And Schuster is a local patriot through and through in more than just sports. He loves his home town where he grew up and studied at FHWS – and the future of which he now helps to shape on the city council. “I am always happy to enthuse about Würzburg to other people.”
