Activists in the Jewish community of Germany say it is possible there are more than 40,000 Jews living in Germany, some 5,000 in excess of the official tally, and that the community is well on its way to increasing its membership to 50,000.
The activists feel that perhaps some 5,000 Jews in Germany go uncounted because of failure to register as such.
The German government collects taxes for recognized religious communities. The authorities transfer to the churches 10 percent of the income tax revenues collected from the churches’ members.
Individuals who fail to register as members of a religious community save 10 percent on their income taxes.
“Actually, we have very few cases of people who go to the authorities and tell them that they are withdrawing,” a Jewish community official said. “But we know of many Jewish newcomers who simply do not register as Jews when they settle in the country.
“Yet they come to synagogues and participate in many other ways in community activities,” the official said.
The Jewish community is now embarking on an effort to convince all Jews in the country to register as members. This would broaden the financial basis of the group, as well as provide more accurate statistics on how many Jews have chosen Germany as their country of residence.
To achieve that goal, Jewish communities throughout the country have begun to match their membership lists with lists of registered Jews, as provided by the income tax authorities.
Individuals who are not registered with the authorities and therefore do not pay religious tax are being reminded that the revenue from this source is the most important single source of income for community activities.
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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.
