German elections have some Jewish officials in the country worried

• Published date: 26 September 2021
• Author: JEREMY SHARON
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Polling has put Merkel's successor, Armin Laschet, and her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party behind its main rival the Social Democratic Party (SPD) led by Olaf Scholz, while the Green Party headed by Annalena Baerbock is likely to play a prominent role however the elections turn out.

During her decade-and-a-half tenure, Merkel has been strongly supportive of Israel, while the Jewish community has grown and flourished during her time in office.

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But the advent of a new political era has some Jewish officials in the country unnerved.

Gadi Gronich of the Conference of European Rabbis said that under Merkel Israel enjoyed "excellent relations" with the German government, which he said was Israel's most dependable partner.

"This probably won't continue in this manner," he said, even if Laschet's CDU party was to emerge as the largest party and he were to win office as chancellor.

If the SPD becomes the biggest party and Scholz becomes chancellor, this could further reduce the warmth of feelings between the two countries.

Gonich noted that in most likely outcomes of the election, The Greens will enjoy significant power, and may even demand the foreign ministry in order to enter a coalition.

The party is less well disposed to Israel, said Gronich, and Baerbock as German foreign minister could result in more political pressure on Israel from both Germany and the European Union, where Germany is the leading power, alongside France.

"Germany would change from being a partner to Israel to something else," said Gronich.

He also notes that Laschet himself has had close ties with Ditib, an organization representing Germany's large population of Muslims of Turkish heritage, which has served as a mouthpiece for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's regime.

In particular, he observes disapprovingly of Ditib's opposition to policies designed to ensure that imams serving Muslim communities in Germany are trained in Germany, and worries that Laschet might be reluctant to adopt such a stance.

Charlotte Knobloch, the head of the Munich Jewish Council and a former president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, opines that what matters is not who ends up winning the election but instead how the coalition is formed.

If there is a grand coalition, as has been since 2017 between the CDU and the SPD, then there will be few...