Kans Rief, who is described as a “Nazi gangster” who was recently cleared by a denazification court, was arrested today by police in the town of Marktredwitz on charges of desecrating the town’s synagogue earlier this week. Rief is the proprietor of a hotel in the town.
According to police reports, Rief forced his way into the synagogue Monday night and destroyed prayer books, prayer shawls and Scrolls of the Law. He also pulled down the Israel and American flags in the house of worship. The town is in the U.S. zone of Germany.
Meanwhile, the Marktredwitz city council offered to the Jewish community the use of several rooms for use during the Day of Atonement services, beginning Sunday evening.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
