Halle (dpa/sa) – Saxony-Anhalt has a police rabbi for the first time – as the second federal state after Baden-Württemberg. A corresponding agreement between the state government and the state association of Jewish communities was signed in Halle on Wednesday. Daniel Fabian, who is taking on the task, will, among other things, provide practical knowledge about Jewish life in Germany to police candidates from September 1st. In addition, he and two colleagues are creating an additional pastoral service for the employees of the state police.
“We bring in-depth knowledge of Judaism to the state police,” said Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang (CDU) at the signing in the Jewish synagogue in Halle. It is hoped, according to the officials, to sensitize them to a different socialization, other world views and cultures. Examples from the past have shown that gaps in the officials’ knowledge of Jewish symbols and culture have led to errors in criminal prosecution, said the state chairman of the Jewish communities in Saxony-Anhalt, Max Privorozki.
