Synagogue in East Berlin Badly Damaged by Vandals

The synagogue in the Reichstrasse in East Berlin has been badly damaged by vandals, according to reports reaching here. The well-known Jewish cemetery in East Berlin has also been the target of attacks, it was reported, and several youths have been arrested. Heinz Galinski, head of the West Berlin Jewish community, said that valuable windows in the synagogue had reportedly been smashed, prayer books torn to pieces, and furniture and walls damaged. Other Jewish sources said the attack on the synagogue was the first anti-Semitic incident to be reported from East Germany, which has had a Jewish community of 1,500 since 1945. (There are some 4,500 Jews in West Berlin.)

The Hamburg newspaper Die Welt reported several days ago that “numerous” youths had made three attacks within a short period on the synagogue and the cemetery, demolishing tombstones. East Berlin’s Jewish community has avoided giving the incidents publicity because of its delicate relationship with the Communist authorities, the newspaper said. When the combined Berlin Jewish community celebrated its 300th anniversary last September, East Germany’s Religious Affairs Minister gave an official pledge that Jews could live safely in the East. The East German government has financially aided the restoration of synagogues, cemeteries and Jewish monuments destroyed by the Nazis.