The Central Council of Jews in Germany has opened the Jewish Academy in Frankfurt, establishing a nationwide educational institution for the first time since the Shoah. The project cost around 40 million euros and combines a renovated historic villa with a modern building at the Senckenberg-Anlage.
The opening was marked by the installation of a mezuzah at the entrance by Frankfurt community rabbi Avichai Appel. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier attended the ceremony alongside Central Council President Josef Schuster, Hessian Minister-President Boris Rhein and Frankfurt Mayor Mike Josef.
Co-director Sabena Donath said the combination of the old villa and the new construction reflected the academy’s purpose: linking religious and philosophical as well as historical subjects with contemporary Jewish life. The institution is intended to fill a gap in Germany’s educational landscape.
The academy is designed as a place for debate and encounters, open to Jews and non-Jews interested in understanding Judaism and Jewish life. Steinmeier described it as a forum for learning, disagreement, reflection and listening, and said it would enrich the intellectual life of Frankfurt and Germany.
Schuster said Jewish life in Germany was under greater threat than at any time since the Shoah, in his view. He argued that the academy could counter hatred through openness and education while presenting Judaism beyond discussions focused solely on antisemitism and persecution, including its traditions and contemporary life.
Mayor Mike Josef highlighted the role of Jewish citizens in Frankfurt’s development and said the academy would continue that tradition by bringing people together and strengthening coexistence. Its work, he said, would promote dialogue both within the Jewish community and between Jews and non-Jews.
Steinmeier used his speech to call on politicians to intensify the fight against antisemitism. Hatred of Jews, he said, must be firmly opposed without exceptions or reservations, including during coalition negotiations and the formation of governments. He stressed that antisemitism must not influence government work anywhere in Germany.
Rhein took a similarly critical position regarding the coalition talks in Berlin, saying that a party was being elected because of, rather than despite, its antisemitism. No coalition should be formed with such people, he said.
Sources: Tagesschau.