Speyer churches condemn threat against Jewish community

The Evangelical Church of the Palatinate and the Diocese of Speyer have issued a joint statement of solidarity with the Jewish community of the Rhineland-Palatinate following an anonymous threatening letter sent to the Beith-Shalom synagogue in Speyer.

The letter, received last Friday, contained threats to blow up the synagogue and included xenophobic remarks. While a powder included in the envelope was determined by police to be harmless, investigations into the incident are ongoing. Church leaders described the threat as an attack on religious freedom and a rejection of the right to live without fear or intimidation.

Rhineland-Palatinate Minister-President Gordon Schneider has called for the perpetrators to face the full severity of criminal law.