Rabbi Avichai Apel during online Torah course
Rabbi Avichai Apel during online Torah courseConference of European Rabbis

Neo-Nazis broke on Holocaust Memorial Day into online Torah lessons given by Rabbi Avichai Apel, the Chief Rabbi of the city of Frankfurt, as well as lessons given by Rabbi Mordechai Bala, the Chief Rabbi of Leipzig, Rabbi Raphael Evers, the Rabbi of Dusseldorf, and Torah lessons conducted by the Morasha organization.

The neo-Nazis called out “Heil Hitler” and other derogatory cries while sending out photos of Nazi symbols, atrocities and swastikas.

The German police are taking this phenomenon very seriously. "In less than an hour after I alerted the Leipzig Police Department, the Leipzig Police Chief called me asking for all the details," said Rabbi Bala. "Investigators from the Special Unit came to me and collected all the evidence I was able to keep."

The rabbis immediately shut down the live broadcast and from now on, anyone who wishes to attend these classes will have to register in advance for admission.

Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the Conference of European Rabbis and the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, said, "The virus of anti-Semitism has not yet been eliminated in Europe. Unfortunately, despite the repeated assurances of EU officials and European heads of states about anti-Semitism on online networks and more, and they have the legal tools to enforce this on EU member states, Germany is one of the few countries where legislation allows for significant punishment.”