Frankfurt supports its Israeli twin city

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Mayor Becker and Lord Mayor Ron Huldaiin Tel Aviv
Photo: Becker

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For visitors, the “Café Europa” in Frankfurt’s twin city Tel Aviv is more than just a meeting point for senior citizens. It’s like a home from home. The café is a meeting point for Holocaust survivors. It operates in several locations in Tel Aviv. The meeting point counteracts the social isolation of older people and offers a wide range of options, including psychological support. The city of Frankfurt am Main has been supporting the committed work on site for several years with 25,000 euros annually.

“It is a personal concern of mine to actively maintain and strengthen the friendly relationship between the twin cities of Tel Aviv and Frankfurt with practical commitment. The support of Café Europa is one element of this, ”said Mayor and Church Director Uwe Becker on his last official visit to Mayor Ron Huldai in Tel Aviv City Hall. “The city of Frankfurt am Main is thus assuming its responsibility in dealing with survivors of the Shoah, even beyond the city limits. This cooperation with the city of Tel Aviv at Café Europa also shows the human depth that defines this special twin city, ”emphasized Mayor Uwe Becker on site.

Café Europa takes its name from a café in Stockholm, where Holocaust survivors were looking for their lost relatives right after the Second World War. The concept of Café Europa comes from Los Angeles and is a project initiated by the Claims Conference. The aim is to create a place that creates community and comforts at the same time. Today the Café Europa project is being replicated around the world. In 2001 the first Café Europa opened in Tel Aviv, Israel. It is financed by the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, the Tel Aviv-Yafo Foundation and mainly through donations.

The corona pandemic has also changed work in Café Europa. Creative methods were developed to keep in touch with the elderly and continue to be the oasis for the survivors.

“Places like Café Europa are of inestimable value for the people who survived the inhuman extermination machine. With our grant of 25,000 euros annually, we can make a small contribution and support the excellent work on site and give people happy hours, ”emphasized Mayor Uwe Becker when handing over the funding commitment for 2021.“ In this meeting place, the survivors of the Shoah can feel at ease talk about their old homeland and remember the beautiful moments of their childhood in Europe before the Nazi terror. I hope that our support and that of many others can continue to secure the important work of Café Europa. ”

Mayor Uwe Becker is currently speaking at the International Conference against Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem at the invitation of the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

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