The partnership work, Allgaier continued, was another link between the PKC and the district. In 2014, Pötzsch traveled to the partner district of Upper Galilee for the first time with a delegation from the district council, where he got to know the country and its people and made personal contacts. Pötzsch's term of office also included the descendants' meeting in Freudental in October 2017, in which the PKC played an important role alongside the municipality of Freudental. A total of 28 descendants of Jews from Freudental - including from the USA, France, Canada, Spain, Israel, Argentina and Guatemala - returned to the place of their ancestors. The PKC provided accommodation and care for the people in a tried and tested manner. "You, Mr. Pötzsch, also took intensive care of the descendants. The newly planted 'Garden of Remembrance' with fruit trees has been a new chapter of remembrance in Freudental ever since," said the head of the district administration.
District Administrator Allgaier also referred to the inauguration of the new PKC building: "The project was a matter close to your heart. You showed political flair and brought the project to the district council at the right time. From the very beginning, you were in favor of expanding the PKC so that it could be used by several groups at the same time and accommodation for people on site could be guaranteed. The new building will help to ensure that the PKC is fit for the future and can make its contribution to combating anti-Semitism. I am already looking forward to when it is possible to use the new rooms again with visitor groups from the Upper Galilee."
During his six years in office, Pötzsch has received various delegations from the Upper Galilee. Other outstanding events during this time were the introduction of a voluntary social year (FSJ) in culture at the PKC in 2015, the signing of the guiding principle for friendly relations with Israel and especially with the Upper Galilee on 12 June 2017 by Pötzsch and former district administrator Dr. Rainer Haas, as well as the exhibition "THE LAST SUMMER" from the end of 2018 to the end of 2019, which was extended several times and met with exceptionally great interest.
In conclusion, Allgaier said: "The relationship with Israel and dealing with German-Jewish history were always important to you, as was the idea of international understanding. With your open and communicative manner and your ability to take people along with you when making decisions, you were able to constructively support the personnel changes at the PKC and ensure that this institution, which is so important for the district, is well positioned for the future."
Herbert Pötzsch has been a member of the PKC since 2000 and was a member of the PKC Board of Trustees from 1999 to 2015. He was Chairman of the Board of Directors from 2015 to 2021. He was mayor of the town of Marbach am Neckar from 1997 to 2013 and a member of the district council from 1999 to 2019.
