Leader of Germany's Jews, Paul Spiegel, Dies

[Kellanved]

Paul Spiegel, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, died early on Sunday, aged 68, after a long battle with illness, the council said. "The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Dr Paul Spiegel, died in the early hours of this morning, aged 68, in Düsseldorf after a long, hard illness," the council said in a statement. It added that he had been suffering from leukaemia.



Spiegel, who served as the vice president of the Central Council of Jews since 1993, took over the top post in 1999 after the death of Ignatz Bubis. He thus served as the highest political and religious representative for the estimated 110, 000 Jews in Germany including immigrants from the former Soviet Union, making it the third-largest Jewish community in western Europe.



"This is an almost indescribable loss," Stephan Kramer, the general secretary of the Central Council, told AFP. "Paul Spiegel was a builder of bridges who was well-respected beyond religious circles. He will be very difficult to replace."
...
<...>Spiegel was a tireless proponent of the Jews in Germany and a strong moral voice, warning Germans of indifference and silent acceptance of anti-Semitism in the face of increasing far-right acts of violence and xenophobic attacks.
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http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1986250,00.html

He was a good one; a calm voice not afraid of naming the things happening in Germany and Europe for what they are. This is sad news indeed.

[Boojatta]

1. If Spiegel was a political representative, how many votes did he get?

Spiegel thus served as the highest political and religious representative for the estimated 110,000 Jews in Germany...

[Kellanved]

3. He was actually the first who actually won an election

All his predecessors had no competing candidates. The election is not actually grassroots-democratic, though: just the nine members of the top council can vote.


MY major problem with the council is that it stands against the liberal/progressive interpretations of the Jewish religion.

[Boojatta]

4. Thanks for the info. When someone dies at age 68, there's a lot of

background information that might be helpful.

[barb162]

2. A very large loss to the German Jewish community