An Israeli reporter was with the survivors of the synagogue attack just hours after the attack.
The police secretly removed them from the synagogue and drove them to the hospital, where they were checked and treated for any signs of trauma and anxiety. Police were escorting them homes – after they finished the special Yom Kippur prayers with the special holiday shofar blows, to end the holiday, in the hospital.
Our message to our enemies is simple. Jewish life is about joy, happiness, gratitude to the one above, moving forward, doing good and inspiring mankind.
No matter what evil our enemies spread and do against us, we Jews will survive and thrive while our enemies will self-destruct in their own hatred and evil. History proves this point century after century.
Am Yisrael Chai
Facebook post by a German Jew:
It’s the end of Yom Kippur in Halle, Germany. We’ve made it out with our lives, in health, and amazing spirits – with gratitude to G-d – as today there was a large scale terrorist attack in Halle, and the terrorist began his day right outside the walls of the synagogue we were praying in.
The Jewish Community of Halle invited a group of us to visit for Yom Kippur to bring some extra energy to the prayers. Our group from Berlin was meant to experience the day with some extra intention, joy, and conversation along the way. We had incredible prayers, full of beautiful songs and even dance, until we suddenly heard a loud bang outside. We hardly had any information about what was going on, but we shuttled ourselves upstairs and into safe rooms. Eventually we learned that a man with a rifle had tried to get into the synagogue. He struggled with a passerby. The passerby was killed. For whatever reason, the man with the gun was stalled or prohibited from entering the synagogue. Gd counted us all there today, one by one, as deserving of life.
Several hours later, with the threat of the gunman still at large, police units escorted us out of the synagogue and to a local hospital to check for signs of shock and trauma. We prayed neilah here to end the day with extra fervor and heard the sound of the shofar.
We came here to bond with a small Jewish community, to feel the Divine energy of Yom Kippur, to sing and dance a little more than we might have otherwise. We are still here, trying to make sense of what happened and what is going on. Please know that we are safe. I’m so grateful for all the calls and messages and most of all for the support of this community and the anchor that our group has provided.