Incendiary Device Thrown at Door of Jewish Temple in Germany, But Damage Minor and No Injuries 

By Hamodia Staff

An incendiary device was thrown at a door of a Jewish temple in Oldenburg, Germany, but caused only minor damage.

No events were taking place in the temple when the device was thrown early Friday afternoon. The fire was discovered quickly and extinguished by caretakers from a nearby cultural center, according to The Jewish Chronicle. The door was damaged but there were no injuries.

Police chief Andreas Sagehorn condemned the “cowardly act” and said in a statement that “we will take this attack as grounds to raise the security measures at the Oldenburg synagogue immediately” while the investigation is ongoing.

On Sunday, some 400 people participated in a rally near the temple to show support for the Jewish community, in an event organized by an Oldenburg alliance against anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, dpa reported. Participants held signs with slogans against antisemitism, and waved Israeli flags.

Germany saw a large increase in anti-Jewish incidents following Hamas’ attack on Israel in October, and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza.

At the rally, Claire Schaub-Moore, chairwoman of the Jewish community in Oldenburg, said, “We feel this strength and it is much greater than what happened on our doorstep, on the doorstep of the synagogue,” according to The Jewish Chronicle. Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said: “We will not let it get us down. Jewish life belongs to our country, to Germany.” Oldenburg Mayor Jürgen Krogmann declared, “Attacks on synagogues are attacks on us all.”

AP contributed to this report.