The Central Council of Jews in Germany is a federation of German Jews. It was founded on 19 July 1950, as a response to the increasing isolation of German Jews by the international Jewish community and increasing interest in Jewish affairs by the (West) German government. Originally based in the Rhenish areas, it transferred its seat to Berlin after the Reunification of Germany (1990). As of 2015 the Jewish community in Germany has around 100,000 registered members, although far more Jews live in the country without belonging to a synagogue. From its early years, the organisation has received strong financial and moral support from the government. Since the end of November 2014, Josef Schuster, an internist from Würzburg, has been president of the Zentralrat. He follows Dieter Graumann, who was the incumbent from November 2010 to November 30th 2014.

Ignatz Bubis, German Jewish leader, was the influential chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany from 1992 to 1999. In this capacity he led a public campaign against German antisemitism. Bubis's high profile both in Frankfurt and nationwide involved him in a number of public controversies.