Merz dons kippah at synagogue opening, vows war on antisemitism
German Chancellor in the synagogue. Photo: Sven Hoppe
On September 15, 2025, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke at the reopening ceremony of a synagogue in Munich, pledging decisive measures against antisemitism to Jewish communities. Merz delivered his speech wearing a Jewish kippah.
“We are experiencing a new wave of antisemitism in our country. The federal government and I are declaring war on this antisemitism. We will not tolerate it – not even under the guise of so-called freedom of art, culture, and science,” Merz stated.
In his emotional address, the Chancellor noted that antisemitism did not disappear in Germany after World War II. He linked the problem to immigration, stressing that “a significant share of those who have arrived in Germany in recent decades were socialized in countries where antisemitism is practically a state doctrine.” During his speech, Merz was visibly close to tears.
The synagogue on Reichenbach Street is the only Jewish place of worship in Munich to have survived the Nazi period.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the number of Orthodox Christians in Germany sharply increased due to Ukrainian refugees.
Read also
Shell hits UOC church in Kherson, rector’s wife injured
As a result of shelling, a side chapel was destroyed and the church dome was damaged at the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in Kherson. There are also injured.
OCU accuses UOC-KP members of “crimes against canonical order”
The leadership of the OCU has asserted its exclusive right to the Kyiv Patriarchate brand and threatened punishment against Nikodym Kobzar and his associates.
Moldovan bishop tells UN of pressure on the Church
Speaking at the UN, Archbishop Markell said the authorities are putting pressure on the Orthodox Church of Moldova and threatening the seizure of churches.
UOC clergy deliver aid to frontline monasteries and parishes
Clergy of the Kyiv Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church delivered aid to frontline monasteries and parishes that provide daily support to refugees and the needy.
Vinnytsia region bans religious processions and pilgrimages until December
Vinnytsia’s Defense Council has imposed strict restrictions on believers ahead of the Easter holidays.
Nicaraguan authorities release 1,200 prisoners for Holy Week
In Nicaragua, more than a thousand inmates were released from prison during Holy Week and sent home under a “family cohabitation” regime, with an appeal to begin a “new life.”