Jehovah's Witnesses to hold international congress in Hamburg

The Jehovah's Witnesses are hosting an international congress at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg this weekend. The religious community expects approximately 75,000 participants from Friday to Sunday, including 5,000 delegates representing 25 different countries.

The event, themed ‘Eternal Happiness’, also serves as a commemoration of a 1946 gathering in Hamburg held 80 years ago. That previous assembly followed the persecution of the group under the Nazi regime and was intended as a sign of peace and unity.

As part of the program, thousands of attendees plan to visit the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial to learn about the history of persecution faced by Jehovah's Witnesses. This includes visiting a reconstructed stall where members were once forced to breed Angora rabbits for wool production while simultaneously providing food to other prisoners and conducting secret Bible studies.