Germany's President Joachim Gauck on Tuesday announced his presence at a rally organized by the Central Council of Jews in Germany against anti-Semitism.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder will be among the speakers at the event on 14 September in front of Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate. "It is a very special and moving sign of solidarity that the federal president wishes to take part in our rally. This gesture means a lot to the entire Jewish community and we are delighted," declared Dieter Graumann, the president of the Central Council and a vice-president of the World Jewish Congress, in a press release. The motto of the rally is 'Stand up! Never again Jew-hatred!'.
Graumann said that in the past weeks "naked hatred against Jews" had repeatedly been witnessed in Germany and caused great concern among the country's 120,000-strong Jewish community. However, the Jewish leader added that the community would continue to strive for a "confident Jewish life" in Germany. "For this reason, we want to show on 14 September: We are here! We will stay! And we will fight all attacks vigorously, together with our friends in German society," he pointed out.
The leadership of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) will also participate in the event. The WJC will hold a meeting of its Governing Board in the German capital from 14-16 September.
