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Frankfurt launches Jewish solidarity campaign

Rabbis thanked Frankfurt’s mayor for creating a positive atmosphere for Jews and against anti-Semitism.

By David Jablinowitz, World Israel News

The Conference of European Rabbis is welcoming a project launched in Frankfurt, Germany which is aimed at expressing solidarity with the city’s Jewish population and opposition to anti-Semitism.

Posters hung around the city feature a large photo of a kippah-covered head with the main title reading: “Together in Frankfurt: For the sake of Jewish life and against anti-Semitism in our city.”

The Frankfurt am Main Municipality and the Ministry of Economics, Partnership, and Religion are signed on to the posters.

In smaller print, the poster’s text says: “Jewish life is an ancient tradition in Frankfurt and is an inseparable part of the identity of the entire city. They are a large part of the unique features of Frankfurt and created the special role and status of the metropolis of Frankfurt. From an economic center and a city of culture, the city was influenced by large Jewish families connected to the past and the present.

“The wounds after the Holocaust and the terrible time of the Nazis also struck in our city and are still present in society,” say the posters, adding that “we can now acknowledge and rejoice that Jewish life has returned to a permanent and important position in the city and in society. All this requires us more to fight for the sake of strengthening the partnership in recognition of their importance and safety.”

The poster’s text concludes with an assertion that “anti-Semitism is not the problem of Jewish society alone. It is the problem of the entire society, and therefore it is the responsibility of all of us every day to strengthen our partnership and to stand firm and strong against any phenomenon or sign of anti-Semitism and racism.”

The Rabbis of Germany (ORD) and Conference of European Rabbis met with Frankfurt Mayor Peter Goldman, whose father was a Jew, and thanked him for the “positive atmosphere” that he is creating for the Jews and for his determined war against anti-Semitism: “Such steps are very important and give a great boost to the Jewish community to lead a Jewish lifestyle and to observe mitzvot in peace and quiet,” said a statement.

Frankfurt, a central German city on the river Main, is a major financial hub and home to the European Central Bank.