The Jewish Academy in Frankfurt is set to open next week with a formal ceremony after years of planning and construction. Sabena Donath and Doron Kiesel, who have long led the Central Council of Jews in Germany’s education department, will direct the new institution.
The project began with a vision initiated by former Central Council president Dieter Graumann and was advanced to completion by his successor, Josef Schuster. Donath described the opening as a major moment after years of educational work, while Kiesel said the realization of the project was both gratifying and challenging as the team continues to expand.
Construction was affected by the coronavirus pandemic, the War in Ukraine and tighter security requirements. The project also faced difficulties finding skilled workers and suitable trades. As is customary with a large building project, operations will begin gradually after the opening, with the academy’s program expected to start in spring 2027.
Frankfurt was chosen in part because of its central location and its established Jewish institutions and community. The city also has a significant Jewish history in science and education. Jewish patrons helped establish Frankfurt University in 1914, and Jewish academics worked there until 1933. The academy says it is aware of this background without presenting itself as a direct continuation of those earlier institutions.
Its work will initially focus on five areas. Four concern Jewish history, culture and tradition; Jewish life in the present; Israel and the Middle East; and politics and society. The fifth is aimed at Jewish communities and institutions, offering professional development and further training as part of the Central Council’s educational mission.
Donath and Kiesel describe the academy as an open institution for a plural society. While it will offer protected settings for internal Jewish discussions, most of its program will be open to anyone interested in relevant contemporary debates. The new building is intended to make it possible to respond more quickly to current issues.
A central goal is to address gaps in public knowledge about Jewish life and Jewish people. The academy plans to invite Jewish artists, authors and other contributors to make their work more visible and audible. It also wants to challenge stereotypes and examine distortions in the portrayal of Jewish life in Germany and of Israeli politics and culture. Journalists and television editors have been invited to discuss how images are created and how media material can be assessed more critically.
The academy’s organizers say that education about Jewish life has often focused on deceased Jews, the Holocaust and the perpetrators’ perspective, while contemporary Jewish life has received less attention. They view the Holocaust as having not only destroyed Jewish life but also removed knowledge about it from collective memory. The resulting challenge, they say, is to present an accurate picture of Jewish life today, including its diversity, visibility and self-determination.
The October 7 attack is described as a profound turning point for Jewish communities worldwide. According to Donath, it has increased the urgency of questions surrounding security and belonging but has not fundamentally changed the academy’s planned direction. The institution is intended to provide safe spaces for internal debate as well as settings where doubts and questions can be addressed openly.
Kiesel said the events in the Middle East would inevitably feature in the academy’s discussions because their political and military consequences are felt in Germany. He presented the institution as a statement that Jewish life in Germany has a future: “We are here, and we will not let ourselves be driven out.”
The academy’s position on Israel is explicitly described as pro-Zionist and pro-Israel, while its program will also address the pluralism and internal debates of Israeli society. The institution will not speak on behalf of the Israeli government, but it will create space for discussion. At the same time, Kiesel said that anyone questioning Israel’s right to exist could not work as a speaker with the academy.
The building’s architecture is intended to connect the past, present and future. Donath highlighted the academy hall, which offers views of Frankfurt’s skyline and surrounding trees, as well as the lounge above it. Kiesel singled out the building’s flowing staircase and its changing views of the city. From the building, visitors can see landmarks including the Institute for Social Research and the trade fair grounds, a site connected to the deportation of Jews during the Nazi era.
Construction costs total around 38 million euros and are being financed by the federal government, the state of Hesse, the city of Frankfurt and the Central Council. The academy had originally been scheduled to open in 2024.
Donath was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1971 and previously worked for the Central Welfare Board of Jews in Germany. Together with the Jewish sports organization Makkabi, she established the antisemitism project “Zusammen1.” Kiesel, born in Ramat Gan, Israel, in 1949, was professor of intercultural and international education at Erfurt University of Applied Sciences from 1998 to 2016.
Sources: FAZ.