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Angela Merkel: "Racism and anti-Semitism never disappeared"
Photo: BERND VON JUTRCZENKA / AFP
At the ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the Central Council of Jews, Angela Merkel expressed her concern about the rise in anti-Semitism in Germany.
"It is a shame and I am deeply ashamed of the expression of racism and anti-Semitism in our country in these times," said the Chancellor in Berlin.
"Racism and anti-Semitism never disappeared - but for some time now they have been more visible and uninhibited," said Merkel at the ceremony in Berlin's New Synagogue.
She referred to "insults, threats or conspiracy theories" that were openly directed against Jewish citizens.
"In the social media, many statements are almost oozing with hatred and agitation," she said - and warned: "We must never be silent about this."
Merkel praised the Central Council as an "important voice in our country".
When it was founded 70 years ago it would have seemed "completely absurd" to "hope that Jews in Germany would dare to make a fresh start."
She was "grateful" that there was Jewish life in Germany again.
The Central Council "rendered outstanding services to our country".
Schuster: An uneasiness crept in
Central Council President Josef Schuster expressed similar concerns: He spoke of the fact that "an uneasiness crept into the Jewish community".
Schuster spoke of the "huge leap of faith" that it meant for Jews to stay in Germany after the Holocaust or to settle there.
"The trust that Jews have placed in Germany has been deeply shaken over the decades and again and again today," he said, referring to anti-Semitic attacks.
Despite anti-Semitic acts of violence such as the attack in Halle, the Jewish community is "again ready to give Germany, our home, a leap of faith," which we hope will not be disappointed, Schuster emphasized.
105 Jewish communities in Germany with around 100,000 members
Schuster and Merkel expressed their views at the ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.
This was founded on July 19, 1950 in Frankfurt am Main.
At that time around 15,000 Jews were still living in Germany.
Among the Holocaust survivors were Jews returning from exile.
Today the Central Council represents 105 Jewish communities in Germany with around 100,000 members.
The administration moved from Frankfurt am Main to Berlin in 1999.
Green leader Robert Habeck called on the occasion of the ceremony to take an active part in protecting Jews in Germany.
If Jews were thinking about emigration again, if there were attacks on synagogues, if conspiracy theorists talked about "world conspiracies" again, "then it should be clear that all speeches are empty of self-evident", explained Habeck.
Jewish life must be protected "with an alert and defensive civil society and the power of the state".
The religious policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, Benjamin Strasser, made a similar statement.
"It is unacceptable that Jews in Germany should be afraid for life and limb," he said.
"It is a central task of politics and society in Germany to consistently combat all forms of anti-Semitism."
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