350 Rabbis Affirm Jewish Life in Europe in Place of Death

By Hamodia Staff

MUNICH – The Conference of European Rabbis’ (CER) 32nd general convention, in the Westin Grand Hotel, Munich, Germany, has come to an end. Over 400 Rabbanim and Rebbetzins, leading communities from 47 countries, gathered together to discuss pressing issues, network, and hear from a vast array of world-class Rabbis, politicians and educators. From Israel, prominent speakers included Rabbi David Lau, Chief Rabbi of Israel and President of the Beit Hadin HaGadol; and Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, the Rishon LeTzion and Chief Rabbi of Israel; as well as Dayan Osher Weiss and Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Farbstein, Rosh Yeshivah, Knesset Yisrael Chevron and Co-President of the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary in Berlin.

The convention also marked the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine. Prayers were recited and a private working session took place, seeking to alleviate the difficulties faced by Russian and Ukrainian Jewry. Rabbis from both Russia and Ukraine attended the convention, and received support and inspiration. A Tribute to the Rabbis In the Frontline: Rabbi Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland; Rabbi Shlomo Bakst, Chief Rabbi of Odessa; Rabbi Refael Kruskal, CEO of Tikva Institutions in Odessa; Rabbi Pinchas Zaltzman, Rabbi of the Charedi Community in Moldova, was also honored.

A group of Rabbanim from the CER convention visited the Olympic Park in Munich on Tuesday afternoon, to pay tribute to the 11 Israeli athletes who were murdered there by Palestinian terrorists during the 1972 Olympics.

The monument, which also honors the German police officer who was killed in the same attack, was erected by the Bavarian government in 2017, close to the site of the Olympic Village. It features panels with biographies of each of the martyrs as well as films showing the Olympics and background information.

The Rabbanim recited Tehillim together, laid a commemorative wreath on behalf of the CER, and recited Kaddish for the athletes. Rabbi Michael Jedwabny, community Rabbi in Aachen, Germany, then sang Malei Rachamim, after which there were a few moments for private reflection, before leaving the powerful memorial.

On Wednesday morning, the convention visited the Dachau concentration camp. A memorial service was held with Rabbi Shmuel Aharon Brodman, Chief Rabbi of Munich, in the presence of Dr. Gabrielle Hammerman, site director of the Dachau concentration camp; President of the Israelite Religious Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria Dr. Charlotte Knobloch, herself a Holocaust survivor; and Mr. Joachim Hermann, interior minister of the state of Bavaria.

Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the Conference of European Rabbis, stated how “it was a memorial to the sheer loss and destruction of European Jewry, which should never be forgotten or overlooked. Yet the CER delegation was also a testament to the active Jewish life currently thriving on the continent today, with so many Rabbis leading communities throughout Europe. These past three days in Munich, with the hospitality of the Bavarian government, have been warm and welcoming. Our Rabbis from across Europe are dedicated to allowing religious Jewish life to flourish, and with such expressions of support, we are only grateful and encouraged.”

The convention was supported by the Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland, the Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Unterricht und Kultus (the Bavarian Ministry for Education and Faith), and Jüdisches Leben in Deutschland 2021. Many Bavarian dignitaries and officials addressed the convention, including Dr. Markus Söder, Minister-President of the Free State of Bavaria.