Steinmeier Opens Frankfurt Academy for Jewish Education

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier joined Jewish leaders on Monday to open the Jewish Academy in Frankfurt. The Central Council of Jews in Germany identifies the school as the country’s first supraregional, non-university Jewish educational institution established since the Holocaust.

The academy functions as an institution of the Central Council. It will offer programming open to both Jewish and non-Jewish participants to promote education and dialogue. Yad Vashem has also announced plans to build a Holocaust education center in Germany.

Steinmeier stated that the protection of Jewish life must never become a political bargaining chip in power struggles. He warned that antisemitism must not influence government work anywhere in Germany. The president argued that hatred of Jews remains hatred of Jews, regardless of the source or motives behind it.

He urged Germans to stand alongside Jews in everyday life. Steinmeier has previously addressed antisemitism, including at a 2022 Hanukkah ceremony in Berlin. He distinguished criticism of Israeli government policy from antisemitism, noting that using criticism to deny the right to exist or call for violence crosses the line into hatred.

The European Jewish Congress called the opening a historic milestone for Jewish life in Germany on Tuesday. The organization wrote that the academy shows Jewish life in Germany is about building an inclusive future, not just preserving memory. Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association, also welcomed the event on X on Tuesday.

Margolin agreed with Steinmeier that protection must not be a bargaining chip. He added that Germany is building Jewish life again, not only remembering it.