Fifty-three percent of the German public say they could accept the idea of having a Jewish president of the country, while 40 percent would object, according to a poll published in the weekly magazine Die Woche.
A proposal by Die Woche to nominate Ignatz Bubis, chairman of the German Jewish community, for the largely ceremonial post has recently become a matter of public debate, despite Bubis’ rejection of the idea.
The poll, taken by the Dortmund-based Forsa-Institut, was conducted among 1,009 individuals who, according to the institute, represent the various groups in German society.
It was Die Woche that last month launched the idea of Bubis becoming the next president. The idea, the editors wrote, was to help Germany confront its past and show the world how the country has changed immensely.
Bubis has said the time is not yet ripe for a Jew to become president of Germany.
The next candidate for the post will be chosen next year by the Bundesversammlung, a body composed of all members of the Bundestag and of representatives of the German states.
The chances of Bubis being chosen for the post are quite slim, even if he were to run.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
