In the halls of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER), an event gathering the spiritual leadership of European Jewry, the figure of Bishop Thomas Paul Schirrmacher stood out. He is not a rabbi, but his connection to the Jewish world and Israel is deep, personal, and intellectual.
Schirrmacher, a professor of the sociology of religion, a political activist in Germany's CDU party, and Honorary President of the International Society for Human Rights, attended the conference to voice a clear message of support at a time when global antisemitism is surging.
He laid out a structured worldview that blends religious faith, cold political analysis, and profound personal gratitude toward the State of Israel.
'Israeli Doctors Saved My Life'
For Schirrmacher, the connection to Israel was not merely theological. In 2023, he contracted a severe case of COVID-19 that left him "more dead than alive" for a year and a half.
"I was healed thanks to two Israeli doctors," he says, emotion in his voice. "I have been at the forefront of working on Long Covid, and I am happy that I never gave up my contact with Israel; it paid off for me personally. They saved me."
Antisemitism as a Rebellion Against God
When asked why antisemitism is returning with such intensity, Bishop Schirrmacher offered an answer that went beyond standard sociological explanations, "If I did not believe in the God of Abraham, I would not understand what is going on. I am deeply convinced that the Jews are hated for the God they believe in, and not for themselves. It is the hatred of the God of Abraham, my God, just as much as yours."
He pointed out that modern antisemitism crosses ideological camps, from the Russian Orthodox Church, which still promotes ancient blood libels, to radical Islam. "Hamas is the Muslim Brotherhood," he reminds us, "and the first thing they ever did in their history was blow up churches.
Christians should be aware that they are next. Often they aren't even next, but are right in the middle of the target alongside the Jews."
German Repentance and Christian Responsibility
As a German, Schirrmacher spoke of the need for repentance not just as a moral act, but as an acknowledgment of Germany's own loss of self.
"Germany in the 1930s was the most educated nation in the world. If any nation should have known better, it was Germany. The fact that we went against the Jews, who enriched us so incredibly, is a crime for which there is no logical need or explanation," he said.
Schirrmacher sharply criticized attempts by certain Christian denominations to "disconnect" Christianity from its Jewish roots, "There is no Christian faith without the Tanakh. For us, the 'Old Testament' is the living Word of God exactly as it is for the Jews. Anyone who claims the Old Testament is a lower form of faith, or that there was never a Temple in Jerusalem (as UNESCO claims), is essentially saying there was never a Jesus. Jesus operated within the Temple, and for him, the Hebrew Bible was the ultimate authority."
UN Hypocrisy and the Refugee Issue
Schirrmacher didn't spare the international community from criticism regarding what he calls the preferential treatment of the Palestinian refugee issue. He compared it to his own family history, "My wife’s parents were driven out of Russia and Poland after WWII. 20 million Germans became refugees in their own destroyed country. They didn’t get UN money generation after generation; they rebuilt the country."
"Why in the world are the Palestinians the only ones to receive refugee status for the third and fourth generation? If we applied the Palestinian protocol to every refugee in the world, 1.5 billion people would be entitled to UN funds. The only reason they receive this treatment is that they are the enemies of the Jews."
Message to Israelis: "Don't Fall into the Victim Trap"
Finally, when asked for a message for the readers in Israel, Schirrmacher calls for a stance of pride and clarity, "This identity is the reason for the persecution, but it is also the motivation for self-defense. Extreme secularism is a danger to the existence of the Jewish people."
Present your contribution to the world, "Don't just speak as victims. Human rights, human dignity, and the rule of law all came from the Bible and Jewish values. This is your contribution to civilization."
The right to defense is universal, "Israel does not need to ask for 'special rights.' It simply needs to demand the rights that any other nation would claim, the right to eliminate those who fire missiles at it and to release hostages at any cost."
"Any country in the world would respond the same way if missiles were fired at it or if hundreds of its people were taken hostage," he concludes. "The Jews are only asking for what every human being deserves: the protection of life."