Wüst, Reul and hundreds of Cologne residents commemorate Jewish victims
On Wednesday evening in Cologne, hundreds of people remembered Jews who were killed - most recently in terrorist attacks by Hamas and during the pogrom night 85 years ago. "We mourn the victims of terror against Israel. We stand with our Jewish fellow citizens," was the message of the silent walk called for by the Catholic and Protestant churches in Cologne. Top politicians from North Rhine-Westphalia also took part.
According to a dpa reporter on site, around 2,000 people took part in the walk. The largely silent crowd was led by NRW Minister President Hendrik Wüst, Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) and other ministers. Further commemorative events are planned for Thursday - the actual anniversary of the pogrom night. For example, the persecution of Jews in Germany will be commemorated in the state parliament.
On the night of November 9-10, 1938, National Socialists vandalized around 7500 Jewish businesses and institutions in Germany. They set fire to the majority of the approximately 1,200 synagogues and houses of worship, demolished Jewish cemeteries and stormed homes. Historians estimate that more than 1,300 people died as a result of the pogrom. More than 30,000 Jews were deported to concentration camps. The wave of violence is regarded as the prelude to the systematic extermination of the Jewish population. By the end of the war in 1945, around six million Jews had been killed in the Holocaust.
During the silent walk organized by the Catholic and Protestant churches, Demonstrations of solidarity with the Jewish community were evident. Participants mourned the victims of historical events like the pogrom night, which saw numerous acts of violence against Jewish establishments and people, including Judaism's sacred places.
Source: www.dpa.com
