In the afternoon, the Central Council of Jews in Germany elects a new president. According to the current state, the Würzburger Josef Schuster for a third term get voted. The press office of the Central Council of Jews said on Friday afternoon, when asked by BR24, that so far there were no opposing candidates.
Nine members of the Executive Committee decide
Whether Schuster will be re-elected for another four years will be decided at the board meeting in Frankfurt am Main. National associations send their delegates there. According to a spokesman for the Board, three of them will be elected to the presidency. The other six members of the Executive Committee are elected from the ranks of the Board of Directors. The Executive Committee then elects its own President.
“If on November 27 the bodies of the Central Council place their trust in me, I will be happy to be able to continue to give my contribution to the Jewish communities, to the Central Council, but also to the country”, explained Schuster. in the “Jewish General” in September.
Schuster has been president for eight years
The 68-year-old shoemaker has been a member of the executive committee of the Central Council of Jews in Germany since 1999. In November 2014 he was elected president for the first time. In November 2018, he began his second term, about which he said in an interview with the Catholic News Agency (KNA): “I am satisfied. Everything that unfortunately still happens in the area of anti-Semitism always concerns that for me, to protect and to promote Jewish life in Germany, to make it more visible and thus to make a contribution to social development”. According to Schuster, the most important thing in this regard was the laying of the foundation stone of the Jewish Academy in Frankfurt am Main, which is scheduled to open in spring 2024.
In the “Jewish General” Schuster also described the cooperation with the Conference of Education Ministers as a great success in his mandate so far. His goal was to address Jewish life and Jewish history in school lessons not only in relation to persecution during the Nazi era.
Open terrifying anti-Semitism
Schuster sees the task of a possible third term as strengthening the congregations, as the number of members is declining for demographic reasons: “Congregations should be points of contact and meeting places, especially for families and young people,” says Schuster. This is why the Board initiated community coaching.
Furthermore, “the increase in open anti-Semitism over the past four years” is frightening. This includes Schuster Attack on the synagogue of Halle “and numerous attacks on Jews”. This year, “this cheeky Anti-Semitism in the documenta” he showed: “The reactions of the political leaders were sometimes completely incomprehensible to me. In my worst nightmares I could not have imagined what we experienced there. This shows that hatred of Jews has reached mainstream society,” Schuster complained in an interview with the KNA Increase in anti-Jewish crimes I think it’s worrying.”
Federal President: Keep the memory of the Shoah alive
Josef Schuster established himself as an internist in Würzburg in 1988 with his own practice, which he ran until 2020. He is also a member of the German Ethics Council. Because of his commitment to strengthening Jewish life in Germany, he was nominated by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in 2021 awarded the Federal Cross of Merit.
“Keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive and the lessons it brings for a free and democratic society determine its actions. It always advocates tolerance and the peaceful coexistence of people of different religions,” the Office of the Federal President wrote at the time.
Board meeting in November each year
On the last Sunday in November, delegates from the Jewish community from all over Germany gather in Frankfurt am Main. The council is the supreme decision-making body of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and oversees the work of the executive. In particular, it is responsible for all fundamental matters of the Jewish community and approves the budget of the Board of directors.
