Germany’s first police rabbis have been active in Baden-Württemberg for almost two years. From the perspective of the country, their work is already bearing fruit.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – Baden-Württemberg will continue to hold on to its police rabbis in the future. “The successful cooperation with the Israeli religious communities of Baden and Württemberg is a clear sign against hate and hate speech and for lived pluralism in the police force and in our society,” Interior Minister Thomas Strobl told the German Press Agency. That is why the successful cooperation will continue seamlessly, said the CDU politician.
It was a nationwide novelty when Baden-Württemberg appointed police rabbis for the first time almost two years ago. The appointment was initially for two years. Since then, Rabbi Shneur Trebnik from Ulm has been the contact person for the police officers in the Württemberg part of the state, and Rabbi Moshe Flomenmann from Lörrach was appointed to this task in Baden. In their role, the rabbis at police schools impart knowledge about Jewish life in Germany, invite people to the synagogue and should always be the point of contact for questions on Jewish topics.
An agreement similar to that in the southwest has also been in place in Saxony-Anhalt since this year. The state government’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Michael Blume, told the dpa that he was receiving more and more inquiries about this model from other federal states.
