Pioneering Jewish academy opens in Germany

A Jewish academy has opened its doors in Frankfurt. The Central Council of Jews in Germany, the country’s leading Jewish umbrella group, set up the project to combat hate and promote dialogue and learning nationally. The western city of Frankfurt was a very conscious choice of location for the new academy, which is the first of its kind in Germany.

Frankfurt has traditionally been a hub of Jewish intellectual life — still one of the most important centers of Jewish life in Germany today alongside Berlin, Munich and Düsseldorf. It was also here that the Central Council of Jews in Germany was founded in 1950; Berlin serves as its headquarters today. Frankfurt is also home to the Central Welfare Board of Jews in Germany (ZWST) and a Jewish museum that opened in 1988.

Jewish thinkers have played a key role in Frankfurt's intellectual and academic history. The city's Jewish community contributed to the establishment of Goethe University in 1914. Another important legacy is the Jewish Lehrhaus (house of study).