Halle (dpa/sa) - For the chairman of the Jewish community in Halle, on the third anniversary of the attack on a synagogue in the city, the focus is on mourning the two dead. "I don't want to see or hear any political debates on this day - regardless of the political spectrum," said Max Privorozki ahead of the anniversary on Sunday. There are other days for that, “but not this one”. The commemoration of the deceased is the main theme for him.
"Days on which such terrible events are celebrated are often particularly painful for those affected," said Federal Government Commissioner Pascal Kober, according to a statement on Saturday. That is why it is important, especially on anniversaries, to pay tribute to those who died and to everyone who has experienced immeasurable suffering as a result of this senseless act driven by anti-Semitism and racism.
On October 9, 2019, a heavily armed assassin tried to break into the synagogue in Halle on Yom Kippur, the highest Jewish holiday. When he didn't succeed, he shot a 40-year-old passer-by in front of it and a 20-year-old customer in a nearby kebab shop. During his escape, the assassin injured numerous other people before he was caught by the police. The 30-year-old German has admitted the crimes. The Naumburg Higher Regional Court sentenced him to life imprisonment with subsequent preventive detention in 2020.
