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The New Synagogue in Oranienburger Straße in Berlin
Photo: Tom Maelsa/ picture-alliance/ dpa/dpaweb
Refuge in the land of the perpetrators: The more than 100 Jewish communities in Germany have gained a large number of new members in 2022. The background to this is above all the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, from which many people of Jewish faith have also fled, as the Central Welfare Office of Jews in Germany announced in Frankfurt on Friday. A total of around 1400 refugees from this area have joined a Jewish community in this country. This brought the total number of members to 90,885.
In 2021, the number of members of the Jewish communities in Germany was still 91,839. According to the information, the decline is mainly due to the temporary withdrawal of the Jewish Community of Mainz with its approximately 1000,2006 members from the umbrella organization. Overall, for the first time since <>, there has been a positive effect on membership development. Only people of the Jewish faith who have registered with a community are included in the statistics.
»The trend of declining membership numbers will continue«
The Jewish communities in Germany have become a social reception space for many people seeking protection from Ukraine, said the president of the Central Welfare Office, Abraham Lehrer. This shows that, in addition to religious offerings, the communities are also elementary in the social services of general interest for Jewish people. However, one should not rest on one's laurels. "The trend of declining membership numbers will continue and we as municipalities and umbrella organizations should also react to this."
According to its own information, the Central Welfare Office of Jews in Germany is the social umbrella organization of 105 communities, including 99 organized in 17 state associations and 6 independent communities.
dop/dpa