Flensburg – The Jewish community center had to be evacuated on Thursday afternoon after a bomb threat. A spokeswoman for the Flensburg police said the threat was received by telephone. No information can currently be given about the exact content and addressee of the call, as the investigations are still ongoing.
“We don’t know who is behind the crime,” says Gershom Jessen, managing director of the Jewish community in Flensburg. During an investigation, the police could not find any suspicious objects.
“The threat is shocking,” says Jessen. He has never experienced such an attack in the Flensburg Jewish community, which has existed since 2004. The bomb threat was received during the municipality’s office hours – “an event did not take place at the time,” says Jessen.
The day before, members of the community had commemorated the pogrom night of 1938 at the Jewish cemetery . The bomb threat coincided with their anniversary on November 9th and 10th.
The mood in the community is “depressed,” reports Jessen. “We talked a lot on the phone.” However, upcoming events should take place as planned. “Despite the bomb threat, we are positive about the future,” says the managing director.
Jessen is satisfied with the police operation. He also feels “not left alone” from a political point of view. Nevertheless, the bomb threat shows “that the Jewish community is not safe,” says Jessen.
Flensburg Mayor Simone Lange (SPD) and City President Hannes Fuhrig (CDU) condemned the act: “The Jewish community in Flensburg is an integral part of our society, so that such a threat shakes our foundations.” Gerhard Ulrich, State Commissioner for Jewish Life and against anti-Semitism in Schleswig-Holstein, said: “This incident triggers anger and disbelief in me.”
Ulrich is not aware of any other anti-Semitic crimes in the context of November 9th and 10th in Schleswig-Holstein. “A single incident – and in particular a bomb threat against a Jewish community on its premises – is already one incident too many,” says Ulrich.
He sees “education and encounters with Jewish life in Schleswig-Holstein” as the key to preventing anti-Semitic violence. Jessen agrees. He calls for greater visibility of Jewish life – for example through reporting on Jewish holidays.
Only a month ago, there was an alleged attack on the Jewish community in Hanover. Here a window pane of the synagogue was shattered during the service on the highest Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur . In this case, the Lower Saxony state security determines.
