Unknown vandals smashed the window of a synagogue in Mannheim in southwestern Germany early in the morning. “Our solidarity goes to the Jewish community and its members,” said the mayor, Christian Specht, who wanted to meet Rita Althausen, president of the local Jewish community. “We don’t want external conflicts to weigh on our city,” Specht added, referring to the situation in Israel and the Gaza Strip. This week there were several incidents of Israeli flags being burned in front of synagogues in Germany, as a result of which security was strengthened in front of several Jewish sites. “We are all called to state very clearly that we will not accept that people of Jewish faith are blamed for events in the Middle East, both on the street and on social networks,” said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, quoted by the media of the Funke group.
