Sometime during the night of January 30 to 31, the memorial plaque commemorating the former Great Synagogue of Kassel was vandalized with extensive graffiti. Red and black paint was used to draw lines, symbols, and signatures across the entire surface, covering both the engraved image of the destroyed synagogue and the explanatory historical text below.
Notably, the words “Torah shrine” and “set on fire” were deliberately highlighted. Several red triangles were also drawn in the corners of the plaque – a disturbing detail. Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack, the red triangle has been used globally to mark Jewish and Israeli targets. This symbol has since become widely associated with violent antisemitic actions.
The markings do not appear to have been randomly placed. Instead, they emphasize specific parts of the text and image, suggesting a deliberate, politically motivated act. The plaque, located in a public space atop a stone pedestal, marks the site of the synagogue destroyed in 1938 during the Nazi regime. The original inscription provides a factual account of the synagogue’s construction, its destruction, and the eventual end of the Jewish community in Kassel under National Socialist persecution.
