Guest article - Chairman of the Jewish community attacks Saleh
The chairman of the Jewish Community of Berlin, Gideon Joffe, no longer wants to work with SPD state leader Raed Saleh on the reconstruction of the synagogue on Fraenkelufer. In a guest article in the "Tagesspiegel" newspaper on Tuesday, he called on the politician to resign from the board of trustees for the project "with immediate effect". Joffe accused Saleh of not having clearly condemned the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on Israel on October 7.
He recalled the atrocities committed by Hamas, in which around 1200 Israelis were killed. "And how do you react to this, Raed? With deafening silence - and that for nine weeks now!" wrote Joffe. "After the first few days of your silence, I hoped you would look for the right words. I now know that you have decided not to use the words 'terror', 'Hamas' and 'condemnation'."
Joffe expressed his appreciation for Saleh's commitment to the reconstruction of the synagogue in Kreuzberg. However, his conclusion is: "You cannot honor the Jews murdered by the Nazis by rebuilding the Fraenkelufer synagogue if you remain silent about the Jews murdered by the Islamists." In his view, tolerating this would be insincere, according to Joffe. "It is therefore with a heavy heart that I inform you that the Jewish community will have to end its cooperation with you regarding the reconstruction of the synagogue."
Saleh had not yet responded.
Guest article by Gideon Joffe in the "Tagesspiegel"
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- Despite the ongoing conflicts between Israel and Hamas, the reconstruction of the synagogue in Berlin's Kreuzberg neighborhood continues to be a cooperative effort between various parties in Germany, including the SPD and local figures like Raed Saleh.
- The Daily Mirror reported on the recent controversy surrounding the reconstruction project, with chairman of the Jewish Community of Berlin, Gideon Joffe, calling for Raed Saleh's resignation from the board of trustees due to his alleged lack of condemnation of Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel.
- Berline's Jewish community has been highly critical of Raed Saleh's inaction following the October 7th attack, in which around 1200 Israelis were killed by Hamas, and have accused him of remaining silent on the issue for nearly nine weeks.
- Raed Saleh, the chairman of Harakat el-Mukawame el-Islamije in Germany, has yet to respond to the guest contribution written by Gideon Joffe, in which he accuses Saleh of insincerity for remaining silent on the issue while working on the reconstruction of the synagogue on Fraenkelufer.
- The controversy surrounding the reconstruction project has caused tension between the Jewish community and Raed Saleh, with Joffe expressing the belief that tolerating silence on the matter would be disingenuous and against the spirit of remembering and honoring the Jews murdered by the Nazis.
- Despite the ongoing tensions, the reconstruction of the synagogue in Berlin's Kreuzberg neighborhood continues, with various parties in Germany working together to preserve and restore an important piece of Jewish history, while simultaneously addressing the complex and sensitive issues surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Source: www.stern.de
