On the evening of 27 August 2024, the grand opening of the exhibition ‘Becoming a blessing for mankind...’ took place in the venerable Römerhallen of Frankfurt City Hall. This exhibition is dedicated to the history and work of the three Frankfurt B'nai B'rith lodges, the two Nuremberg lodges and the Mannheim lodge and highlights their significant contributions to society.
The event was opened by Ralph Hofmann, President of the B'nai B'rith Frankfurt Schönstädt Lodge e.V.
In his welcoming speech, he welcomed the numerous guests and emphasised the historical and current relevance of the lodges. This was followed by a moving joint prayer led by the community abbots Apel and Sousan as well as the city dean Kamlah from the Protestant church in Frankfurt and Offenbach.
In this prayer, the victims of violence were remembered - the hostages of 7 October, the victims of the attack on the synagogue in France and the knife attack in Solingen.
Ralph Hofmann went on to present the results of a three-year research project that focussed on six of the 103 German B'nai B'rith lodges. He emphasised the significant contribution that the lodges and their members had once made to their home towns, for example by founding hospitals, training centres and nursing homes.
The Mayor of Frankfurt, Dr Narges Eskandari-Grünberg, then spoke about the important role of the lodges in terms of tolerance and freedom. She emphasised how essential these voices are for the preservation of democracy.
Dr Birgit Seemann then presented her research findings on the lodges in Frankfurt and Nuremberg, highlighting a number of special members by name. Dr Edgar Bönisch followed with a presentation of his work on the Mannheim lodge.
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Benjamin Graumann, representative of the Jewish community in Frankfurt, gave a further welcome address. He emphasised the many years of good cooperation between the community and the lodges on various issues and challenges.
The opening speeches were concluded by the CEO of B'nai B'rith International from Washington. In his speech, he highlighted the great tradition of the lodges and emphasised the new challenges that the lodges have had to face since 7 October and in view of public opinion. He emphasised that the lodges continue to stand for an open society and free Judaism - without hate and without fear.
The event was musically framed by Anna Kuperschmidt on the electric piano and violinist Hagit Halaf. Shai Terry and Amnon Seelig, cantor of the Jewish Community of Mannheim, provided further moving moments with their vocal performances.
After the official speeches, the guests were invited to a small buffet in the Römerhöfchen before visiting the exhibition in the Schwanenhalle. The results of the extensive research work are presented on 21 exhibition panels.
The exhibition is open daily until 11 September 2024 from 10:00 to 18:00, admission is free. There is also a free guided tour every day at 4.00 pm.