On the heels of Angela Merkel’s re-election to a third term, the Board of Deputies of British Jews has invited her to visit to receive a special award, the first time it has issued such an invitation to any German chancellor, according to the Jewish Chronicle.
The Board, the main representative body of British Jewry, extended its invitation amid general praise of Merkel by European Jewish leaders, including the Conference of European Rabbis and the Ruopean Jewish Congress, the Chronicle reported.
The European Jewish Congress, of whom the British Board is a constituent, had the idea of the award because it felt Merkel had “made a major contribution to the wellbeing of German Jewry,” in particular her leadership during a time when the country approved a law to protect religious circumcision, according to the Chronicle.
helenatjewishweek@gmail.com; @thesimplechild
The New York Jewish Week brings you the stories behind the headlines, keeping you connected to Jewish life in New York. Help sustain the reporting you trust by donating today.