Several shots were fired at the entrance door of a synagogue made of glass in the city of Essen. According to the reports, the crime took place during the night between Thursday and Friday, by the grace of heaven no one was hurt | The rabbi himself is in the US on the occasion of a gathering of Chabad delegates
Four shots were fired at the old synagogue in the state of Essen in Germany. The police said that there was no danger and no one was injured. The building houses an Institute of Jewish-German History. Herbert Raul’s interior minister said it was an “attack”.
Menachem Cohen, editor of the newspaper ‘Kfar Chabad’ tweeted on his Twitter account: “In the midst of the global gathering of messengers – a great miracle for the Chabad messenger and rabbi of the city of Essen in Germany, Rabbi Shmuel Ahronov. Four bullets were fired at the synagogue he runs. The police were informed about the shooting Eyewitnesses Rabbi Aharonov himself is currently on his way to the meeting of the messengers in the USA. German policemen have been securing the synagogue and his house since this morning.”
According to a police spokesman, witnesses reported backpacks being found around 8:30 a.m. Friday. It was initially unclear when the shots were fired. “We believe it was during the night when no one was there,” the spokesman said. It should be noted that there are security cameras that record the square where a man who reportedly committed the crime was seen.
“The police are looking for a suspect,” said Interior Minister Herbert Raul. “The attack on the old synagogue in Essen shakes me deeply,” said the Minister of the Interior, “the existing videotapes are now being quickly examined. State security is involved, the Jewish community in Essen can count on us to do everything we can to identify the perpetrator as quickly as possible,” said Raul. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper reported that the suspect was recorded on security cameras, and that the police used dogs to detect explosives, but none were found.
According to the police spokesman, the shots hit a glass front door. The frame was damaged and there were shots through the windshield. Based on the evidence and the holes in the door it is a firearm. According to the municipality spokesman, the rabbi’s house is not used by the Jewish community. It is right next to the synagogue building. Salomon Ludwig Steinheim Institute for German-Jewish History With an archive and library as well as rooms of the University of Duisburg-Essen located on the premises, the Salomon Ludwig Steinheim Institute studies the history and culture of Jews in German-speaking countries.
Today the old synagogue is the House of Jewish Culture in Essen, a cultural institute in the city. The place of prayer of the Jewish community in the city is the new synagogue in the city. According to the spokesperson of the municipality, the old synagogue has exhibitions and events about Jewish history. The Jewish community also meets there on special occasions, for example to commemorate Kristallnacht on November 9, 1938. At the same time, the old synagogue was set on fire and the rabbi’s house was destroyed. Due to the danger from anti-Semitism, police are always present during the opening hours of the old synagogue.
The mayor of Essen, Thomas Kopen, condemned the act on Facebook and wrote: “This news upsets me very much”, a member of the Green Party in the Bundestag of Essen, Kai Göring, said: “It must be made clear that this is a disgusting attack, we need continuous protection of Jewish institutions and the fight against anti-Semitism.” . Minister Josephine Paul of the Green Party wrote on Twitter that the act shows “that we must not let up in the defense of Jewish life and the fight against anti-Semitism.”