(Jewish Group) 1,700 years of Jewish life in Germany: Taking stock
Festivities marking centuries-long Jewish-German heritage are concluding this week. Organizers are taking account of all that’s been achieved and are thinking to the future.The first documented presence of Jews north of the Alps dates back to 321 CE, when the Roman emperor Constantine issued a decree allowing Jews to be members of Cologne's town council. The documents are stored in the archives of the Vatican today.
The Roman edict provides definitive evidence that Jewish communities have been an integral part of European culture since ancient times, according to the office of the German government's commissioner for Jewish life in Germany and the fight against antisemitism.
On the occasion of the edict's 1,700th anniversary, the association 321-2021: 1700 Jahre Jüdisches Leben in Deutschland, together with the German government, decided to mark the event through projects and festivities.
An overwhelming exercise
Speaking to DW about the year gone by, Andrey Kovacs, executive director of the association, said his group was overwhelmed and thankful for the participation of civil society and political figures, with the resulting number of events far exceeded initial expectations.
more...