Rosch HaSchana 2026: Kirchen in NRW rufen zum gemeinsamen Einsatz für Demokratie auf

Five Catholic dioceses and three Protestant regional churches in Nordrhein-Westfalen issued a joint greeting to Jewish communities for Rosch HaSchana. The Christian leaders sent the message to wish Jewish citizens a blessed and sweet new year.

The greeting emphasizes a shared responsibility to protect democracy, noting that several elections are taking place in various states near the holiday. The churches stated that free and general elections form the core of democracy and reflect the shared belief that all people are created with equal dignity.

The churches also expressed concern regarding the rise of far-right forces, a trend they noted many Jewish citizens share. The message recalled that Germany's development into a democratic state following the Nationalsozialismus era was not certain. The signatories expressed gratitude to the Jewish communities that supported the early stages of German democracy and helped rebuild Jewish life in the country after the dictatorship ended.