To mark the fifth anniversary of the attack on the synagogue this Wednesday, several events will take place in Halle. The central act of commemoration begins at 5 p.m. in the Ulrichskirche. At the time of the first shot, at 12:03 p.m., all the church bells in the city were ringing. A commemoration with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will also take place in the synagogue at midday. Afterwards, the Jewish community ceremoniously receives a new Torah scroll, the last letter of which is then written.
»The assassin wanted to destroy Jewish life in Halle. He didn’t succeed. The new Torah is now also a sign of new life for us,” says community chairman Max Privorozki when asked. When asked to what extent his community of around 500 members can ever calm down again, he replies with a shrug: “We’re continuing to work. The entire world cannot calm down. The solidarity after the attack was incredibly great at the time. »But that’s not automatically the case. Now, in the wake of the war against Israel, I miss her a little. I would like to see even clearer statements on that.”
Steinmeier: Valve opened for hatred of Jews
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that the attack on October 9, 2019 had forever changed the lives of those involved: “Those who survived the terror in Halle bear the heavy burden of that terrible day. For all of you there is an irrevocable before and an after.”
Since Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel a year ago, an outlet for unbridled hatred of Jews seems to have opened, said Steinmeier: “Too often the Internet becomes a hate filling station where people – often young men – recharge themselves. «
In the afternoon, Steinmeier visited the “Tekiez” memorial site, which is run by the Friedenskreis Halle eV. It is located on the site of the former “Kiez-Keber” where the assassin murdered 20-year-old Kevin S. The Federal President then visited the synagogue, where a silent remembrance had already taken place at 12 p.m. at the time of the assassination attempt five years ago.
On October 9, 2019, the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, the right-wing terrorist Stephan B. carried out an attack on the synagogue in Halle, killing two uninvolved passers-by. He seriously injured two other people. His attempt to enter the synagogue failed at the door. The Naumburg Higher Regional Court sentenced B. to life imprisonment followed by preventive detention in December 2020.
Prime Minister Haselhoff calls for responsibility
Watching or looking away are not options when hatred happens, said Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister. Reiner Haseloff (CDU) called for shared responsibility in the fight against hatred of Jews and extremism. “Remembrance also means responsibility: Be it in schools, on social media or in public discourse, we must make a clear commitment everywhere that anti-Semitism, racism and right-wing extremism find no room.”
A commemoration is also planned in the evening at the second crime scene, the kebab snack bar. The former “KiezDöner” is now called “Tekiez” and is now just a memorial room where the doors are open twice a week in the afternoon to drink coffee, cook together, exchange ideas, mourn and remember. There are also events such as readings and workshops. The initiative came from the operators Ismet and Rifat Tekin, who saw the attacker shoot a man in their shop.
Döner snack bar now a memorial
There are flyers and posters hanging in the “Tekiez” that are intended to show that the attack in Halle is part of a long series of right-wing extremist acts of violence. »The memory is very present for us, but keeping it alive in public is very difficult. “The interest is very much focused on specific occasions like right now,” reports project coordinator Yamin Hamid when asked.
In their opinion, the city does not really recognize the “Tekiez” as a memorial site. Although financing is secured until the end of 2025, the future remains open. »This place is still important for many survivors, they tell us that again and again. Just knowing that this memorial even exists gives them strength, even if they don’t live anywhere near here,” says Hamid.
The synagogue in Halle had no police protection at the time of the attack. This subsequently led to a nationwide review of security precautions for Jewish places of worship. The federal and state governments promised to better protect synagogues. Research by the “Media Service Integration” showed that most federal states have since paid money to Jewish institutions for additional protective measures. Previously, many Jewish communities had to finance measures such as bollards, entry gates, video surveillance and security personnel themselves. / with kna/ epd
