"The current relevance of Remembrance Day scares me"

a conversation with Bishop Ralf Meister, who is also the head of the ELM Mission Committee.

Regional Bishop Ralf Meister studied in Israel and campaigned for the close connection between Christianity and Judaism to be enshrined in the constitution of the Hanoverian regional church. On the 85th anniversary of the Nazi-era Reichspogromnacht, he is very concerned that Jews in Germany are once again being increasingly intimidated and threatened. The interview was conducted by the Evangelischer Pressedienst (epd).

epd: Mr Meister, 85 years ago, synagogues were burning all over Germany. Today, anti-Jewish slogans are being shouted on the streets again. Is the 85th anniversary of the Reichspogromnacht a reminder for us today?

Ralf Meister: Honestly, the current relevance of Remembrance Day scares me. It should be natural that Jewish life here in Germany is possible without any worries. But that is not the case at all. It is intolerable when anti-Semitic slogans are shouted and posters put up in the middle of German cities, when synagogues, Jewish cemeteries and memorials need to be protected by the police, when Jewish parents are afraid to send their children to daycare centres and schools.

epd: What can each individual do to speak out against hatred of Jews?

Meister: Each and every one of us has a special responsibility to remember the terrible history of the Germans in their dealings with Jews and to stand up for the coexistence of all people in a spirit of neighbourly love. Whether someone is a believer or not, we must all help to turn the land of former Nazi terror into a land of peaceful coexistence and mutual respect and to preserve it as such. We must not just talk about this, but also look at the practical side of things: Where can we organise encounters? Where do Jewish people in our country need support? How can we effectively object when we hear anti-Semitic slogans? Where do we perhaps unconsciously encourage anti-Semitic narratives? And as a church, we have to say clearly and repeatedly: anti-Semitism is blasphemy.

epd: Is there anything that currently gives you hope?

Meister: I am quite disillusioned, especially when I see the current statistics on anti-Semitic offences. But there are also many good and effective initiatives. In schools, for example, where the whole school community works against anti-Semitism in a targeted, continuous and committed way. We also need more of this in other places, and the churches, as well as government agencies and other players, must become more involved than they have been to date. Regarding Hanover, we can consider ourselves fortunate to have such a close and trusting dialogue with our Jewish brothers and sisters.

epd interview: Michael Grau