German military to get chief rabbi for first time in 100 years
For the first time since World War I, the German military is set to appoint a chief rabbi. The move, an initiative of German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, is aimed at both serving the hundreds of Jews in the German military's ranks as well as fighting antisemitism. The appointment of a Jewish German to a significant role will also be highly symbolic given the German military's participation in the genocide of the Jewish people in the Holocaust.
Rabbi Zsolt Balla has been selected to fill the position. He
will continue his current roles as chief rabbi of Saxony and its capital,
Leipzig, while serving as the chief military rabbi.
Around 300 German Jews currently serve in the country's
military. Balla will head the military rabbinate that will be established in
Berlin and will be responsible for the work of 10 religious figures in the
military. Alongside the provision of religious services to Jewish soldiers, the
military rabbinate will take part in the education of all German soldiers to
prevent antisemitism.
Balla will officially enter the role at a ceremony at a
Leipzeig synagogue to be held in a few weeks. The ceremony will be broadcast
live on German TV channel ARD. Among those set to attend are Kramp-Karrenbauer,
Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer, Central Council of Jews in Germany
Josef Schuster, as well as representatives of the Conference of European
Rabbis, of which Balla is a member.
Conference of European Rabbis and Moscow Chief Rabbi Pinchas
Goldschmidt welcomed the appointment.
"This is a significant step in bolstering ties between
the German people and the Jewish community that has resided in Germany for
hundreds of years. The establishment of a military rabbinate in the German
military sends a clear message of tolerance and pluralism, which will bring us
one step closer toward maintaining Jews' freedom of religion in Germany and
fighting against any antisemitic phenomenon that arises later on," he
said.
While the decision to appoint a chief rabbi was made last
year, its implementation was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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