Germany increases funding of the Jewish community to fight against anti-Semitism

People attending a job fair for refugees in Berlin, June 8, 2017. (Sean Gallup / Getty Images)

(JTA) – Germany has increased the benefits of the State for the Central Council of Jews in Germany for the first time since 2011. And the funds will give a shot in the fight against anti-Semitism.

In a joint statement issued Friday, Central Council President Josef Schuster and the Federal Minister of the Interior for Building and Community, Horst Seehofer, announced that the state's annual support to the Jewish umbrella organization would grow from 10 million euros to 13 million euros (more than 15 million dollars).

Noting his concern about "the increase of anti-Semitism in our society," said Mr. Seehofer. The Central Council "faces increasing challenges" that the funding will help to meet. "Whoever threatens our Jewish citizens threatens us all," he said.

Schuster, who focuses on school programs to combat anti-Semitism, termed it "a good day for the German Jewish community". Concerns about anti-Jewish incidents are increasing in Germany, both by the far right and by Muslims. Calls have been made for increased attention to the fight against anti-semitism in schools, particularly since 2015, when more than one million refugees of Arab origin were arrested. Muslim entered Germany

. refugees can subscribe to anti-Semitism, homophobia and misogyny.

German researchers consistently find that a quarter of the population has anti-Semitic views and that the majority of anti-Semitic crimes are committed by right-wing parties. The rates of anti-Semitic episodes in Germany have remained more or less constant since 2003.

The Central Council functions as an umbrella for about 80 Jewish communities from a range of Jewish denominations. It supports cultural and social programs, including the continued integration of former Soviet Jews who have moved to Germany since 1990. There are currently about 100,000 registered members of Jewish communities and about the same number who are not affiliated , including several thousand Israelis. 19659003] In 2003, Germany signed its first contract with the Central Council, placing it on an equal footing with the Catholic and Protestant communities. At the time, the government pledged 3 million euros a year to help the Jewish community meet its infrastructure needs. This sum was increased to 5 million euros in 2008 and 10 million in 2011.

According to the statement of Friday, the increase in funds will allow the Central Council to expand its work in the areas of Jewish integration, the fight against anti-Semitism and promoting the remembrance of the Holocaust.