German Dignitaries Welcome Jewish New Year at Chabad-Lubavitch of Berlin
German dignitaries, government officials and foreign ambassadors gathered at Chabad-Lubavitch of Berlin on Sept. 21, to mark the coming Jewish new year, being celebrated from sundown of Sept. 25 until nightfall on Sept. 27. Led by the president of the Bundestag—Germany’s parliament—Bärbel Bas, the high-level delegation also included German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor. The 350 business, media and community leaders and representatives were greeted by Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, chief rabbi of Berlin and director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Berlin.
Teichtal, who this year has welcomed hundreds of Ukrainian refugees and an entire orphanage from Odessa into his community, showed the delegation the vibrancy of Berlin’s Jewish life, presenting the president of the Bundestag with a newly translated and transliterated German machzor (High Holidays prayerbook), produced by Chabad of Germany’s publishing house.
Teichtal and his staff led the guests on a tour of Chabad’s future $40 million Jewish campus, next door to the current center. The campus, expected to open next year, will house Europe’s largest synagogue, Teichtal told Chabad.org.
Rounding out the event, Rabbi Dovid Teichtal sounded the shofar and a prayer for world peace was offered by Rabbi Shmuel Segal.
