Erfurt/Halle (dpa/th) – For the chairman of the Jewish regional community in Thuringia, the consequences of the attack on a synagogue in Halle (Saxony-Anhalt) are still noticeable three years later in his community. The third anniversary of Yom Kippur, the highest Jewish holiday, was also marked by memories of the assassination. “Of course, you immediately think of what happened in Halle,” said Reinhard Schramm of the German Press Agency. Since 2019, the Thuringian community has also always had thoughts like “I hope nothing happens again on Yom Kippur”.
The immediate proximity of the crime scene, around 100 kilometers as the crow flies, was very worrying for the members, said Schramm. “It could have happened to us too – and our door wouldn’t have held up.” The door has now been repaired, and other safety precautions have also been taken.
“Before Halle I always tried not to focus on safety precautions – you shouldn’t always be afraid,” said Schramm. That is different today. He takes the fears of the members very seriously. “I think it’s necessary because times are stormy,” said Schramm. What happened three years ago in Halle is unfortunately still possible in Germany. But the Thuringian community will not be deterred from celebrating. The synagogue was packed for Yom Kippur that year.
On October 9, 2019, a heavily armed assassin tried to break into the synagogue in Halle on Yom Kippur, the highest Jewish holiday. When he didn’t succeed, he shot a 40-year-old passer-by in front of it and a 20-year-old customer in a nearby kebab shop. During his escape, the assassin injured numerous other people before he was caught by the police. The 30-year-old German has admitted the crimes. The Naumburg Higher Regional Court sentenced him to life imprisonment with subsequent preventive detention in 2020.
