Five weeks after the death of Paul Spiegel, the Central Council of Jews in Germany has elected Charlotte Knobloch as its new President. In a letter sent to the newly elected President, who for years filled the role of Vice-President of the Central Council, the President of the German Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, congratulated her and commended her wish to “continue the good collaboration based on mutual trust, established in past years”. “The meetings and talks that have taken place give me the certainty that we can tackle in concord the important tasks that await us”, he added. “We are grateful for the continuous progress of Christian-Jewish dialogue in our country and cannot cease to intensify and develop this dialogue. Faith is the source of respect for human dignity; it urges all people to assume their responsibility to oppose any form of terror, hatred and discrimination, while at the same time giving us the necessary strength and trust to be able to alleviate suffering and injuries”.
