Speech at the wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate the victims of Kristallnacht on 9 November 2022
Dear Members of the German Bundestag, the Saxon State Parliament and the Chemnitz City Council,
Dear Dr Röcher
Dear members of the Jewish community
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear pupils,
9 November is a date that is inextricably linked to our history: 84 years ago today, the hatred and violence against Jewish fellow citizens in Germany reached a sad climax for the time being. On the night of 10 November, hundreds of synagogues and cemeteries were set on fire and desecrated, thousands of shops were destroyed and tens of thousands of people were deported to concentration camps, where they were subsequently tortured and killed.
The synagogue in Chemnitz also fell victim to the flames. On this very spot - set alight by National Socialists. And in Chemnitz, too, people of Jewish faith were dragged out of their homes and deported that night. Only a few ever returned. Everyone could see that. But only very few helped their fellow citizens to find protection from the National Socialists. The vast majority looked away, remained silent, repressed.
[Salutation],
Unfortunately, we recognise parallels today. There is once again racist and anti-Semitic violence in our country and other European countries. Anti-Semitism is unfortunately still part of everyday life in Germany. The Federal Ministry of the Interior already counted more than five antisemitic offences per day in 2022. In the current year, more than 1,500 anti-Semitic offences have already been recorded.
Where violence is incited against political opponents, where people in need of protection are deliberately defamed as "asylum seekers" by so-called "concerned citizens", this not only creates a climate of marginalisation and fear. It prepares the ground for hostility and violence, culminating in attacks on refugee centres, asylum seekers and volunteers.
We are witnessing a brutalisation of society - in language, in thoughts, discussions and debates. And, increasingly often, in deeds. In times of crisis, Jewish fellow citizens are often scapegoated. The words from the Talmud (one of the most important scriptures in Judaism) are therefore both simple and far-sighted:
Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Pay attention to your actions, for they become habits.
Pay attention to your habits, because they become your character.
Pay attention to your character, because it becomes your destiny.
[Salutation],
When the synagogue was solemnly consecrated here in this place in 1899, it was a commitment by the Jewish citizens to their hometown of Chemnitz. Arrived to stay.
At the time, nobody could have imagined or wanted to imagine that such hatred would become possible and socially acceptable just a few years later.
The city's Jewish citizens were doctors, entrepreneurs, craftsmen, pupils in Chemnitz schools, architects, had large department stores and small shops, were artists, colleagues and neighbours.
39 years after the synagogue was consecrated, it went up in flames on the night of the ninth to tenth of November. Set alight by fanatical National Socialists.
And hardly anyone in Chemnitz and hardly anyone in the many other cities in which synagogues burned stood in defence of the Jewish citizens after the pogrom.
It was the beginning of a crime against humanity committed by the Germans. Six million Jews were deprived of their lives in Europe. Abused, deported, shot, gassed.
A few Jews from Chemnitz returned after the Second World War. They ensured that Jewish life in our city was not completely extinguished.
It is thanks to them that Chemnitz became a place of Jewish immigrants after 1990. Chemnitz, home to Jewish life. As Lord Mayor, I say that with pride.
[Salutation],
This year we celebrated 30 years of the Days of Jewish Culture in Chemnitz AND 20 years of the synagogue on the Kapellenberg. We are celebrating Jewish life in our city. Arrived to stay. The large and active Jewish community and Jewish life are a matter of course in Chemnitz. A commitment to Chemnitz.
It is also a matter of course to reciprocate this commitment. Every day, not loudly, but openly and with interest. 26 October was a special day for us, for me: the town twinning with Kirjat Bialik was formally announced. A friendship that has existed for many years.
And friendships like this are created not only in the knowledge of one's own history, but above all with a view to the future. For current and future generations who seek and find their own paths, always focussing on what they have in common, what connects them. After all, recognising, preserving and nurturing this unity is a prerequisite for peaceful coexistence in the world. This is being made painfully clear to us again at the moment.
Dear people of Chemnitz,
we must disagree. Whenever the basic values of our common life, when decency and humanity are called into question. When people are belittled, insulted or threatened, we must never look the other way.
We decide how we live together, where our society is heading. We shape our country and our city for the future. It is up to us not to allow injustice to happen again and to fight for values such as freedom, democracy and equal treatment.
We are all called upon to work together to ensure that life in a peaceful community is possible in Chemnitz.
The best way to achieve this is to talk about it in order to find and live common answers against xenophobia and anti-Semitism.
I am therefore delighted that you are here today. Thank you for that.
(The spoken word prevails)