02 May, 2006
Paul Spiegel, the leader of Germany's Jewish community, has died at the age of 68 after a long illness. Politicians and church leaders have been paying tribute to Spiegel, the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. They called him a tireless and vigorous campaigner against anti-Semitism and for reconciliation between Germany and its Jewish community. Germany's president Horst Köhler described Spiegel as a "German patriot", and Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a statement calling him "an impressive personality who fought passionately and with all his might to give the Jewish community in Germany a good future." She added: "He spoke out when many remained silent. He set a benchmark with his support for civil courage, tolerance and mutual respect and his opposition to xenophobia and anti-Semitism". Israel's president Moshe Katsav expressed his condolences and recalled Spiegel’s role in reviving Jewish life in Germany after the war. “Dr. Spiegel was dedicated and a great patriot of the Jewish nation, and one of its great leaders,” he said.
Spiegel succeeded Ignatz Bubis as president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany in 2000. Under his leadership, the Central Council signed a landmark treaty with the German government that provides the framework for funding to Jewish communities. Germany's Jewish community has more than trebled since the fall of communism in 1990 when Germany opened its borders to Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union. It now exceeds 100,000 but remains just a fraction of the pre-war Jewish population of 670,000. Despite criticism of anti-Semitism and xenophobic attitudes in the country, Spiegel always made it clear that he had faith in German democracy. He once said that the fact that so many Jews had decided to move to Germany after the Iron Curtain fell was "definitely not a bad sign." Speaking of himself, he said: "I would not live in Germany if I did not like to live here." Spiegel survived the Holocaust because he was sheltered by a Catholic family in Belgian during World War II. His sister Rosa was murdered by the Nazis, but his parents decided to stay in Germany after World War II.
