Status: 11/18/2022 2:37 p.m
After the former rabbi’s house at the old synagogue in Essen was shot at, NRW interior minister Herbeut Reul speaks of an “attack”. The Essen police assume that the shots were fired at night.
A police spokeswoman confirmed to WDR that witnesses reported bullet holes in the neighboring rabbi’s house on Friday morning. Nobody was injured. There is no danger to the population. The area has been cordoned off since Friday morning. Investigations into the background on site are ongoing.
Evidence of male suspects
Police officers are investigating the closed-off Old Synagogue in Essen after bullet holes have been discovered
Image: WDR/Biernat
An explosives detection dog was in use, but no explosives were found, according to the police. The shots hit a glass front door. The frame was damaged and there were shots through the pane. It was four shots from a sharp weapon. It was initially unclear when the shots were fired. In the meantime, however, the police assume that it happened at night “when nobody was there”.
The Old Synagogue in Essen
Image: picture alliance / Rupert Oberhäuser
According to a spokeswoman for the city of Essen, the rabbi’s house is not used by the Jewish community, it is right next to the synagogue building. The Salomon Ludwig Steinheim Institute for German-Jewish History with archive and library as well as rooms of the University of Duisburg-Essen are housed in the rabbi’s house.
NRW Interior Minister Herbeut Reul at the Essen synagogue
Herbert Reul during the police operation at the Old Synagogue in Essen
Image: WDR / Olaf Biernat
NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul was also on site on Friday: “The attack on the old synagogue in Essen has shocked me deeply. The Jewish community can rely on us doing everything we can to identify the perpetrator as quickly as possible”.
According to Reul, a man is assumed to be the perpetrator. The minister refers to apparently existing video recordings. But these are of poor quality. State security is involved.
Prime Minister: “Jewish life is a part of our country”
Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst has now commented on the incident via Twitter meal said: “We stand firmly on the side of the Jews in North Rhine-Westphalia and protect them against hatred and violence.”
The Lord Mayor of Essen, Thomas Kufen, also expressed his dismay on Facebook. The Old Synagogue is now a house for German-Jewish culture and history. There are regular events and there is an exhibition. The cultural monument is one of the largest free-standing synagogue buildings in Europe from the early 20th century.
We will report on this topic on November 18th, 2022 on the radio in the WDR 2 local time Rhein/Ruhr.