Stefanie Szczupak’s Mission to Rebuild a Synagogue in Hamburg Amid the Collapse of Her World
Stefanie Szczupak’s Mission to Rebuild a Synagogue in Hamburg Amid the Collapse of Her World
Blog Article
In Hamburg, a city once filled with the vibrant pulse of Jewish life, a sense of devastation has overtaken Stefanie Szczupak, a 56-year-old woman intent on rebuilding the Bornplatz Synagogue. For Szczupak, who serves on the board of trustees for the synagogue and previously ran the Jewish school adjacent to it, the project has always held deep personal and communal significance. Yet, the urgency to reconstruct the synagogue has intensified in light of recent global events, which have left Szczupak questioning the foundation of her life and her faith in society.
Currently, archaeologists are at work excavating the site of the old synagogue, uncovering traces of its violent past. Among the artifacts are ornaments, broken windowpanes, and scorched remnants of objects, all of which bear the marks of the Kristallnacht attack on November 9, 1938, when Nazi forces destroyed synagogues across Germany. The process is fraught with emotion, and the site is heavily guarded by armed security to ensure safety. In addition, a school located nearby is under protection. "Unfortunately, there is no other way," Szczupak explains, acknowledging the reality of rising anti-Semitic threats in the modern era.
The effort to restore the synagogue is more than just a physical construction project—it is a statement against anti-Semitism. Szczupak’s belief is simple but powerful: "We want Jewish life to return to this place." Yet, this goal now feels even more pressing after the events of October 7, which shattered multiple aspects of her worldview.
The Collapse of a Safe Haven
For Szczupak, October 7 marked a profound collapse of worlds she had once believed to be stable. The first was the notion of Israel as a safe haven for Jews, a sanctuary where she and her family could find refuge in times of danger. Having grown up as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, Szczupak had never seriously considered emigrating to Israel but had always taken comfort in knowing it existed. "If worse comes to worst, there is a country where there are a lot of other Jews and where my family and I can live in safety," she recalls.
However, the terror unleashed by Hamas on October 7 left Szczupak feeling that this understanding of Israel’s protective role had been irrevocably damaged. The attacks, followed by widespread celebration in parts of the world, stripped away her sense of security and the belief in solidarity that had once been integral to her identity.
The Silence and Betrayal of Society
In addition to the crumbling of her sense of refuge, Szczupak was deeply shaken by the lack of solidarity following the attacks. For years, she had believed in the power of dialogue and understanding, thinking that by engaging in conversation, people would come to see Jews as just another part of the human community. But the events of October 7 forced her to confront the uncomfortable truth that many people no longer shared this understanding.
"I always thought: We’ll start a dialogue, and then the others will understand that we are people too," Szczupak reflects. Now, she wonders if all the efforts she has made in recent years to promote understanding and tolerance were in vain. The "Never Again" slogan, a phrase long associated with the commitment to never forget the horrors of the Holocaust, has now been replaced by voices saying "Yes, But" or, worse, silence.
Her disbelief has deepened as she watched public displays of joy over the deaths of Jewish people and witnessed segments of society offering tacit approval or even justification for the actions of Hamas. "It’s like seeing the celebrations of murderers being applauded," she says. "It’s the same feeling my father must have had when he was escaping the Nazis."
A Personal Connection to the Past
Szczupak's father survived two of the most horrific chapters in Jewish history—the Warsaw Ghetto and Auschwitz. The pain and trauma he carried with him shaped much of her upbringing. She remembers listening to the stories of Holocaust survivors who visited her parents' home, each tale a reminder of the unimaginable suffering endured by her people.
One artifact that holds deep emotional significance for Szczupak is her father’s concentration camp pants, the ones he wore when he managed to escape from a death march. These pants, now a symbol of survival, remind her of the sheer hopelessness and fear her father must have felt in those dark days.
For Szczupak, the reality of the atrocities of October 7 has brought her closer to understanding the horrors of the past. The videos and images of brutality have crystallized her father's sense of helplessness and the feeling of isolation that accompanied the witnessing of mass murder. "You don’t just see the deeds themselves," she says. "You see those who celebrate or justify them." This understanding of hatred and indifference to suffering is a deep, painful connection to the experiences of her father—and it is one that Szczupak feels deeply now as she grapples with her own fears for the future.
In the face of this unraveling of her personal and collective history, Szczupak’s resolve remains strong. The synagogue’s reconstruction symbolizes more than just a physical structure—it is an enduring reminder of resilience, of Jewish life returning to a place that once saw its destruction, and an unwavering stand against the forces that seek to erase that legacy. Despite the weight of the grief she carries, her commitment to this mission is clear: the fight against anti-Semitism continues, and it will not be silenced.
https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/jewish-life-in-germany-a-sudden-ominous-sense-of-insecurity-a-e21696e4-35f8-4c32-9300-f875885ef638 Report this page