A major group of orthodox rabbis is leaving the UK and moving their head office to Munich nearly seven decades after it was founded in London.

The Conference of European Rabbis is to move into new headquarters in Munich this summer with funding from the Bavarian state government.

A CER spokesman said, "Brexit is certainly a major factor, if not the only factor in the move. As CER is in the front line in lobbying and advocacy at the EU institutions, it is much more beneficial to be headquartered inside the Union. The CER’s membership is far broader than the EU but on balance it makes more sense."

The representative body for 1,000 Orthodox rabbis will also open a new Centre for Jewish Life in the Bavarian city, offering comprehensive training to rabbis and rebbetzins across the continent.

Earlier this week it awarded its annual Chief Rabbi Lord Jakobovits Prize to Bavaria’s Minister-President Markus Söder.

CER president Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt said, “Under the leadership of Minister-President Dr Markus Söder, Bavaria has become a beacon of hope for Jewish communities in Europe, a place where they can feel welcome, supported and valued. 

“His and the Bavarian state government’s commitment to promoting Jewish life and culture is rooted in its deep respect for the Jewish people and their contribution to society.”

Founded in 1956, the conference was registered as a UK charity and recently has been run from the Jerusalem office of Rabbi Goldschmidt, its president since 2011. Chief Rabbi of Moscow until last year, he went into exile after refusing to back Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The new HQ will add to the revival of Jewish life in Munich with the Ohel Jakob Synagogue and Community Centre, opened in 2006, bringing Judaism back to the heart of the city.