Attempted attack in Berlin
Unknown people throw Molotov cocktails at the synagogue
October 18, 2023, 9:57 a.m
With the outbreak of war in Israel, anti-Semitic attacks in Germany are also increasing. That night, unknown people in Berlin apparently tried to set fire to a Jewish meeting place. According to a media report, the perpetrators managed to escape despite the police presence.
According to the affected community, there was an attempted arson attack on a house with Jewish institutions in Berlin during the night. The Kahal Adass Yisroel community wrote on the X platform, formerly Twitter, that unknown people had thrown two Molotov cocktails from the street in the direction of their community center on Brunnenstrasse in Berlin-Mitte.
Upon request, the police confirmed an incident on Brunnenstrasse, but initially did not provide any details. According to the “Tagesspiegel” there were no injuries. The incendiary bottles were functional and burned. However, the building did not catch fire because the attackers missed it. The newspaper wrote, citing the police, that the incendiary devices only flew onto the sidewalk and went out there.
Police security guards were at the scene, but were unable to prevent the attack or detain the perpetrators. According to the report, the building houses several Jewish institutions, including a Talmud Torah school and a synagogue. There had previously been spontaneous protests and sometimes riots in Berlin after a devastating explosion in a hospital in the Gaza Strip, which presumably left hundreds dead.
The Greens reacted with concern to the alleged arson attack. “This is an abomination that must be condemned in the strongest possible terms,” said Irene Mihalic, parliamentary director of the Green Party in the Bundestag. She very much hopes that it will be possible to increase protection for Jewish institutions.