Tschentscher: Hamburg stands firmly by Israel's side
At a commemorative event to mark the 85th anniversary of the November pogroms in Hamburg, the Senate and Parliament as well as the Jewish community remembered the destruction of the Bornplatz Synagogue by the National Socialists. Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) confirmed on Thursday that the building would be rebuilt. He also emphasized: "Hamburg stands for a cosmopolitan, tolerant society and has not a millimeter of room for anti-Semitism. In the face of Hamas terror, we stand firmly on Israel's side."
The Chairman of the Jewish Community of Hamburg, Philipp Stricharz, called for Germany's democracy to remain defensible. "This also includes standing up for the right of other democracies to defend themselves against barbaric attacks," said Stricharz, referring to the Israeli military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. German democracy must also include the ability to identify oneself as a Jewish German at any time and without fear. "This is not the case," lamented the community chairman, adding: "As long as we tolerate hate speech and terror relativization on our streets, nothing will change."
The motto of the event was "Never again is now". The Bornplatz Synagogue in Hamburg's Grindel district was looted and desecrated on the night of November 10, 1938. In 1939, the Jewish community was forced to demolish the building and the property was expropriated by the Nazis. It was only last September 27 that the city council unanimously decided to return the property to the community.
Tschentscher's remarks also highlighted Hamburg's stance against radical extremism, stating, "We firmly condemn any form of extremism, including anti-Semitic extremism, and we will not allow it to have a place in our society." Additionally, the commemoration of the November pogroms serves as a reminder of the devastating impact of religious extremism, as demonstrated by the Holocaust and the persecution of Judaism during that time.
Source: www.dpa.com
