The Central Council of Jews in Germany, the umbrella organization representing German Jewry, has decided to move its headquarters from Bonn to Berlin.
The decision to make the move came at a Sunday meeting in Berlin of 71 representatives from all the Jewish communities in Germany. The vote on the move was 67-0, with four abstentions.
The move, which is expected to be completed by the end of 1997, will take place before the German federal government and Parliament transfer the seat of government from Bonn to Berlin, a move expected to occur in 1998.
Before the vote, council Chairman Ignatz Bubis emphasized the historic role of Berlin’s Jewish community, a sentiment also expressed by fellow speaker Eberhard Diepgen, the mayor of Berlin.
Established in 1950, the council represents some 40 Jewish communities organized into 16 state associations throughout Germany.
The German Jewish community numbers some 50,000, a third of whom recently came from the former Soviet Union.
The Berlin Jewish community, which is the largest in Germany, has a membership of 10,000.
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