Breaking down doors on Yom Kipper in Halle

In Halle, Germany, in 2019, the Jewish congregants entered the doors of their synogogue and prayed to G-d for their safety and security.

They opened the doors of their mouths and proclaimed,

“This Yom Kippur we shall:

Fortify our doors;

Set our alarms;

Reinforced our walls and windows;

Monitor our security cameras;

Drill, practice and memorize our security plan.

For if we don’t, they shall come to slay us.

We know, we live in Germany.”

One congregant asked, “Why don’t we buy a high-powered rifle, a scope and train a sniper?”

The rabbi proclaimed:

“The temple doors must be tightly shut to the streets of Halle but we do not need guns to protect ourselves.

The police will protect us.

G-d will protect us.”

On Yom Kipper 2019, in Halle, Germany, 51 congregants fasted, repented, and prayed for  G-d’s forgiveness.

On Yom Kipper 2019, in Halle, Germany, the shadow of death attended services outside the doors of the Halle’s temple.

He burned his image:

into the doors of the temple;

into its TV monitors;

into the minds of 51 congregants;

into the bodies of two innocents.

The oldest Halle congregant had seen and felt his image before.

In the 30’s and the 40’s, the congregant’s fingers were scrotched when he touched the shadow of death’s image engraved on:

Nazi prison doors;

Gas chambers doors;

And cast-iron oven doors.

On Yom Kipper 2019, in Halle, Germany, improvised bombs and bullets smashed against reinforced wooden temple doors.

As congregants, wearing tears, yarmulkes and tallit,

nervously rubbed, squeezed and pulled on their tzitzit.

They prayed, cowered and cried.

“G-d, where are the police?

When will they arrive?

Why wasn’t a police officer stationed in front of the synagogue—it’s Yom Kipper?

Where are our weapons so we may protect ourselves?”

“Please G-d, do not let this Neo-Nazi breakdown our doors!

“Please G-d don’t let him slay us!

And on this Yom Kipper in 2019, in Halle, Germany, G-d answered their prayers.