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Vigil at the memorial commemorating the destroyed Liberal Synagogue, where a week ago the sculpture of a seven-armed candlestick was damaged by unknown persons.
At least 250 people gathered on Sunday in the square in front of the memorial site of the Liberal Synagogue, which was destroyed on November 9, 1938, on the grounds of the Darmstadt Clinic to protest against the damage to the menorah installed there. The stainless steel sculpture designed by the artist Helmut Lortz was bent by unknown perpetrators last Monday between 12.30 p.m. and 9.10 p.m. so that the seven-armed candlestick was almost on the floor. The work of art was then partially erected again until Tuesday afternoon. The state protection of the police has now taken over the investigation.
Under the motto “Resist hatred and violence, live peace and solidarity”, the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation, the Christian Churches and civil society groups and a student initiative had called for the one-hour memorial and reminder event.
Vigil in Darmstadt: shoulder to shoulder
Paula Werner, a student at the Arheilger district school, said in her short speech: “Someone brutally desecrated the menorah. I don’t just want to be silent about it, I want to get up and stand up for a respectful cooperation at school and outside of school. ” It encourages her to stand shoulder to shoulder with other people for right and respect, said the student.
Mayor Jochen Partsch (Greens) called for more mindfulness and said that in the past years there had been “far too many attacks on monuments and memorial sites in the city”. With the “wicked desecration” of a sacred symbol, however, a new escalation level of violence has now been reached, said Partsch.
“Alliance against hatred and oblivion to history”
Daniel Neumann, the leader of the Jewish community, said that the response and response of the civil society “Alliance against hatred and oblivion to history” to the act of violence was unmistakable. The menorah is a symbol of joy, light and confidence. “We cannot let the coexistence and the common future destroy us,” cried Neumann very firmly.
The Friends of the Liberal Synagogue in Darmstadt is using cameras to monitor the Liberal Synagogue memorial.
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