In the city of Wuppertal, Germany, just days before Yom Kippur, a man walked to a synagogue in broad daylight and set it alight — an act that failed to destroy the building but succeeded in exposing something older and more persistent: the vulnerability of Jewish life in the heart of Europe. A staff member extinguished the fire quickly, and police arrested the suspect nearby, but the ease and openness of the attack left a community asking not only who this man was, but what conditions allow hatred to move so freely through the afternoon light.
German police probe antisemitic arson attack on Wuppertal synagogue
No injuries reported; the fire was quickly extinguished by staff, preventing harm to people in the synagogue.