The war unfolding over the past two years has provided us with no shortage of difficult images of demonstrations full of hatred toward Israel and Jews around the world. But about a month ago, in the city where Hitler began his political career, many Christians mobilized to protect the Jewish community and their synagogue from pro-Palestinian demonstrators who marched nearby.
BR (Bavaria's regional broadcasting body) journalist Sandra Demmelhuber shared several weeks ago on X a video showing a guard of Christians, mostly women, surrounding Ohel Yaakov – Munich's new synagogue – while singing protest songs typical of Germany and holding signs with messages such as "Grandmothers Against the Right" and "Together Against Jew Hatred."
Mehrere hundert Menschen schützen in München „ihre" Synagoge mit einer Mahnwache, nachdem die vom Verfassungsschutz beobachtete Gruppierung „Palästina spricht" ausgerechnet an Schabbat und in unmittelbarer Nähe zum Jakobsplatz zu einer „Marschdemo" aufgerufen hatte. pic.twitter.com/lE3pW8eNst
— Sandra Demmelhuber (@SDemmelhuber) July 18, 2025
According to Demmelhuber, the trigger for the event was a pro-Palestinian demonstration that took place very close to the synagogue, specifically during Friday evening prayer service. Many feared this was an intentional attempt to intimidate the Jewish community and attack the magnificent tefillin-shaped synagogue, which is part of a complex built by the city's Jewish community for the hefty sum of nearly 60 million euros at the beginning of the millennium. Therefore, they organized a counter-demonstration around the synagogue to ensure that Jews coming to pray there would not be harassed by antisemites.
