High walls, bulletproof glass, security forces in front of facilities: At the ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Ohel Jakob Synagogue in Munich, Chancellor Friedrich Merz described what is part of everyday life for Jews in the Bavarian capital and throughout Germany. It reminds him "that a normal, open, visible Jewish life is still not possible in Germany."
Still not - even more than 80 years after the end of National Socialism in Germany. The former Ohel Jakob synagogue of the Munich Jews also fell victim to the National Socialist agitation: on the Reichspogromnacht from November 9th to 10th, 1938.
November 9th was “a morning full of optimism”
In 2006, the inauguration of the new Ohel Jakob Synagogue deliberately took place on this historic date. 20 years ago, November 9th was “a morning full of optimism,” said Charlotte Knobloch in Munich.
The 94-year-old Holocaust survivor has been President of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria for more than 40 years. Today's ceremony in the synagogue was attended by celebrities from society, the judiciary, politics and religion, including Munich's Mayor Dominik Krause and Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder.
Knobloch said that the new synagogue in the heart of the Bavarian capital also brought hope for normality. However: "We are waiting, we are still hoping for the day," says Knobloch, "when you can be Jewish in complete normality. Because we can live here in our homeland without any insecurities."
Garlic: "We are here and we will stay here"
Instead, attacks and accusations, accusations and vandalism have characterized Jewish life in Germany, "not just, but especially since October 7, 2023," said Knobloch, referring to the attack on Israel by the radical Islamic Hamas three years ago. Other reasons for the rampant anti-Semitism are "the return of an extreme right", a "morally lost left" or a "hatred of Israel disguised as a sincere attitude".
Knobloch countered this with: “We are here and we will stay here because we are at home here.” At this sentence, applause erupted from the audience. What has also become the consensus about the Ohel Jakob Synagogue must apply to Jews everywhere in this country: today it is as much a part of Munich "as the Frauenkirche and the Hofbräuhaus," said Knobloch.
Aigner thinks “Never again” is dead
The President of the Bavarian State Parliament, Ilse Aigner, also gave a speech at the ceremony. The Union had previously officially presented her as its candidate for the office of Federal President. "The 'Never again!' is dead," Aigner repeated the assessment with which she had already caused a stir in the Bavarian state parliament.
“What other verdict should one come to?” asked Aigner in Munich, referring to the Anti-Semitism Research and Information Center (RIAS), which recently documented an average of around 24 anti-Semitic incidents per day in Germany. “Let’s stop pushing around and instead find honest and clear language,” demanded Aigner.
Merz appeals to contradict anti-Semitism
According to Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, it is now important "that we keep remembrance visibly at the center of society, that we prevent its instrumentalization in party politics, its outsourcing to milieus or rigidity in rituals."
The responsibility towards Jews that has arisen from German history is to “contradict and outlaw anti-Semitism wherever it appears.” The historical responsibility of Germany and the Germans also includes a commitment to the State of Israel.
