Munich’s Jewish community has celebrated the 200th of its foundation in a ceremony attended by leading politicians, businessmen and celebrities. Community leader Charlotte Knobloch gave Bavaria’s Governor Horst Seehofer the Ohel Jakob Medal for his support for Jewish life and for promoting understanding between Jews and non-Jews.

Knobloch, told the 450 guests in her address: “Jews have deep roots here in Bavaria.” She said that the edict issued by the Bavarian government in 1813, which granted Jews certain rights they previously hadn’t enjoyed, had been crucial. “It gave our people the most important thing one can have: freedom.” This had allowed Munich’s Jews to set up the Israelite Cultual Community two years later.

The 82-year-old Holocaust survivor reminded the audience of the “devastating circle of settlement, expulsion, destruction and rebirth” which Jews in Bavaria had faced so many times over the centuries. “In recent years, some of the specters of the past have come back to haunt us, but despite that, Jews here remain loyal to their Bavarian homeland,” Knobloch declared.

The Israelite Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria has nearly 10,000 members, making it one of the largest in Germany. In 2006, a new synagogue and community center was inaugurated in downtown Munich.