Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Coronation Hall of our City Hall for the awarding of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen 2024 to the President of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER), Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, and the Jewish communities in Europe.
It is a great pleasure for me to welcome the 2024 Charlemagne Prize winner, the President of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER), Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, together with his wife (and family).
Ladies and gentlemen, Excellencies,
A warm welcome to Prime Minister Rama, who has traveled to Aachen today with Ministers Ogerta Manastirliu and Elisa Spiropali.
It is a special pleasure for me to welcome Vice-Chancellor Dr. Robert Habeck to our midst.
My personal thanks go to both of you, Prime Minister Rama and Vice Chancellor Habeck, for your willingness to give the speeches in honor of our award winner.
The numerous former winners of the Charlemagne Prize are always very welcome, and today I would like to welcome among us: Pat Cox, Dr. Jean-Claude Trichet, Dalia Grybauskaite and Martin Schulz, as well as our Belarusian laureates: Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Veronica Tsepkalo and Tatiana Khomich, who is standing in for her sister Maria Khalesnikava, of whom we have had no sign of life for over a year.
On behalf of our state of North Rhine-Westphalia, I would like to welcome Minister President Hendrik Wüst as well as the former Minister Presidents of our state, Jürgen Rüttgers and Armin Laschet. And we have another Minister President in our ranks today, Oliver Paasch, the Minister President of the German-speaking community.
I am pleased to welcome H.E. Dragoș Hotea, State Secretary in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Romania.
We would like to extend a special welcome to the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, together with his Vice President, Abraham Lehrer, and the President of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, Charlotte Knobloch.
We also welcome Bishop Helmut Dieser and Bishop Fehrs, as well as all representatives of the churches and faith communities.
We welcome Your Excellencies, the Ambassadors from Ukraine, Albania, Italy and Croatia, as well as all members of the Consular Corps.
From the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia, I would like to welcome Berivan Aymaz, Vice-President of the state parliament, Mona Neubaur, Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers Herbert Reul, Oliver Krischer and Nathanael Liminski, as well as all members of the state parliament, the Bundestag and the European Parliament. Thank you for coming.
I would like to welcome the members of the committees of our Charlemagne Prize with former Lord Mayor Jürgen Linden at the head of the Charlemagne Prize Board of Directors. Today we stand here together to honor an extraordinary personality.
"In appreciation of his outstanding work for peace, the self-determination of peoples and European values: for tolerance, pluralism and understanding, and in recognition of his significant commitment to interreligious and intercultural dialogue, the Board of Directors of the Society for the Conferring of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen in 2024 honors the President of the Conference of European Rabbis, Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, and together with him the Jewish communities in Europe." These are the words of the Board of Directors.
It is with deep respect that we honor Pinchas Goldschmidt today, who, like no other, stands for dialogue and the overcoming of boundaries between religions and peoples. This award stands for the recognition of his merits, it stands for our determination to stand up against anti-Semitism and all forms of exclusion.
At a time when Jews in our country do not feel safe as a matter of course and are openly attacked, each and every one of us is called upon to stand up against this.
To stand up so that the horrors of the past are never repeated.
"Never again"!!!
We remember the darkest chapters of our history, repression and the Holocaust, and do everything we can to never again fall back into such barbarism. Since the end of the Second World War and especially after the end of the Cold War, our democracy has become ever stronger.
Over the decades, Europe has grown together in freedom, humanity and peace.
The foundation of our coexistence, our Basic Law, will be 75 years old in just a few days. Against the backdrop of German history, we in Germany and in Europe are particularly proud of this strong foundation.
The Basic Law gives all people non-negotiable basic rights. "Human dignity is inviolable", it says in the first paragraph.
The message is clear: every person is valuable and has a permanent place in our community, regardless of their origin. Every person in Germany has the right to determine their own life. To express their opinion. And to vote.
In a few weeks, we will elect the European Parliament, our common strong democratic voice. Fundamental rights apply to all people. This includes freedom of religion.
Interreligious dialog and exchange with those who think and believe differently is an important basis for respectful interaction and is undeniably necessary. It is the people in their diversity on the ground who live Europe. It is the people who have taken to the streets in recent months and continue to do so now, standing up for their convictions, advocating a peaceful life and clearly rejecting extremists.
Our democracy lives from the people who stand up for it. Especially here in Aachen, we stand up for our values today, tomorrow and in the future. We shape democracy ourselves, vote democratically, take a stand. We are colorful, diverse and peaceful. Everyone is welcome in Aachen, no matter where they come from.
We stand for a society of solidarity. For a society of diversity, of fair opportunities for all. For a society of cohesion. But there are still connections in our everyday lives between skin color and opportunities on the job or housing market, social background and educational opportunities, gender and fair pay. Politicians need to take a closer look, question themselves and ensure that all people can lead a good life under fair conditions.
Every year, the Charlemagne Youth Prize impressively shows us how young people want to shape their future in a peaceful Europe. Akvile Latozaite, Lou Borderie and Jonas Altmann are not sitting here on the podium by chance. They are here because they are actively and courageously involved in political processes and are committed to Europe from the bottom of their hearts. This is not always an easy path. But they also know that we need to argue more in order to reach good decisions together. They are committed today out of conviction because they have recognized that it is worthwhile to work for a just and peaceful world.
Freedom, humanity and peace - this is exactly what the Charlemagne Prize stands for. Defending these values and unity in Europe in peace and freedom secures the future of our children and grandchildren.
For some years now, however, we have been experiencing with great concern a strengthening of autocratic systems in the world. Thousands of innocent people are being mistreated, tortured, displaced and killed. Every day, we are shockingly reminded that there are increasing forces around the world that do not share our values. Instead of democracy, freedom and the rule of law, they rely on state despotism, oppression and the violation of basic human rights. The images of the suffering of people in Syria, Ukraine and the Gaza Strip shake us, just as the images of the massacre of Jewish people by Hamas on October 7 shook us. Children, women, men, old and sick people have been experiencing indescribable suffering ever since. Every day they are defencelessly exposed to atrocities and crimes. Pinchas Goldschmidt does not look away. He speaks out clearly. At a meeting with Pope Francis in November 2023, he said: "We are for peace. We believe in the right to self-determination of every people. [...]
We hope that the civilian population will suffer as little as possible from this war. We pray for them and we hope that peace will return, in the Middle East, in the Holy Land and also in Europe. The constant diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Middle East give me hope for a lasting peace solution.
I am encouraged by the commitment of Chief Rabbi Goldschmidt, who as a spiritual leader clearly raises his voice for peace and justice.
And it is Goldschmidt's following statement that impressively underlines his claim to find the best solutions in dialog with people across religions and borders: "Today more than ever, dialog is necessary to ensure that this century does not culminate in bloodshed and war, in despair and hatred like the last one."
His unwavering stance against radical extremism and his commitment to interfaith exchange are exemplary for us.
Goldschmidt's words show us that we hold the key to peace in our hands with dialog. His vision of a Europe and a world characterized by understanding, respect and cooperation is one that unites us all.
Today we are not only honoring an individual, but also the diversity and rich cultural tradition of Jewish communities across Europe. Jewish life is a natural part of our European identity and always will be. Let us continue to fight together for peace and tolerance, let us talk to each other more and thus build more bridges between cultures and religions!
By honoring Goldschmidt, the Karl Prize Board of Directors is continuing its commitment to peace, the self-determination of peoples and European values, thus directly continuing the legacy of the founding fathers.
We need more people like Goldschmidt, who stand up for peace, freedom and dialog and are a role model for us.
I am convinced that this award can be a further step on our path to a secure and peaceful future.
Thank you very much
10.05.2024