“Celebration” days
- melanieschmoll1
- 18. Apr.
- 4 Min. Lesezeit
Today is the beginning of one of the highest Christian holidays and, with Good Friday, a day of mourning. In Germany, this means that, depending on the federal state, certain rules apply that must be observed. Germany is a very Christian country and we do not have a separation of church and state. This means that Christian holidays have a great influence on society. Good Friday is a public holiday in all German federal states. Good Friday is traditionally regarded as a day of silence - with consequences for public life. Every year, Germany debates what should be allowed on this day and which bans are still appropriate. Clubs remain closed, sports halls empty, even cinemas are only allowed to show selected films: Strict rules apply in Germany on Good Friday. This is based on the Christian tradition of commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus in silent mourning on the Friday before Easter. Easter is the most important festival of the year for Christians and has been firmly anchored in German Christian culture for centuries. To do justice to the occasion of the day, Good Friday is considered a “silent” holiday in Germany. Other examples of silent holidays are the Sunday of the Dead or the National Day of Mourning. Anything that could disturb the commemoration on such days is prohibited. Which activities are affected by this is regulated by law, but varies from state to state.
Nevertheless, I would like to share some information from the past two weeks that I find remarkable and worth sharing. Firstly, there is the really important court ruling following the attack on the Jewish student Lahav Shapira in Berlin. The defendant and the victim met by chance in a bar in Berlin-Mitte on February 2, 2024. When the Jewish student left the bar, the 24-year-old followed him, according to his own statements. According to his confession, he accused Shapira of his actions in a WhatsApp group of FU students and that he had torn down posters at the FU. Then it came to an argument - and he struck. According to the 24-year-old, he had underestimated his martial arts experience. According to the verdict, the Jewish student was knocked out with his fist by his former fellow student. As he lay bleeding on the ground, he was then kicked in the face with full force. The 32-year-old Lahav suffered a complex mid-face fracture and a brain haemorrhage. He had to undergo several operations.
A 24-year-old man was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday. The Tiergarten District Court found the victim's former fellow student guilty of causing grievous bodily harm and assumed an anti-Semitic motive. The court thus went well beyond the prosecution's request. The presiding judge justified the sentence by stating, among other things, that Mustafa A.'s confession had not been characterized by insight into guilt and remorse, but had followed a “salami tactic”. The accused had only confessed to what could already be proven beyond doubt. He had also claimed that he could not have foreseen the serious consequences of his attack, although this would be very unlikely for an experienced kickboxer, which Mustafa A. is. The defendant had confessed to the act of violence in court and asked for forgiveness. However, the 24-year-old rejected the accusation of anti-Semitism. “It wasn't about politics for me, but about cooperation between fellow students,” said the former FU teaching degree student, who was born in Berlin and whose parents are from Lebanon. In his closing remarks shortly before the verdict was reached, he apologized to Shapira personally, but with a smile.
“I am sorry to have caused you pain”, said Mustafa A. He is also sorry "that this case is being instrumentalized to instil fear in Jewish citizens. That was never my aim." - What else can you say? No remorse, on the contrary: his accusation that the case is being instrumentalized to instil fear in Jews is an attempt to turn his victim into a perpetrator.
(https://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/politik/drei-jahre-haft-fuer-mustafa-a/ https://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/meinung/bis-zuletzt-wollte-mustafa-a-aus-lahav-shapira-einen-taeter-machen/ ).
In addition, the Berlin police have initiated 100 criminal investigations following the renewed occupation of a lecture hall by “pro-Palestinian activists” at Humboldt University (HU). Among other things, there is suspicion of serious trespassing, particularly serious breach of the peace, incitement of the people, use of symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations and resistance to police officers, according to a statement.
Among other things, activists are said to have poured a liquid onto police officers, which could have been urine. Pyrotechnics were also thrown. The damage again runs into the hundreds of thousands, as almost the entire seating in the lecture hall was torn out
Other things that were remarkable and worth sharing the last days: The Association for Jewish Studies has honored me as “their” author: https://associationforjewishstudies.org/ajs-honors-its-authors and has not only linked the possibility to buy the book https://buchshop.bod.de/hatred-of-jews-a-failure-of-holocaust-educationo-melanie-carina-schmoll-9783769338652 , but also the video of the book is online on YouTube 2025 AJS Honors Its Authors: Melanie Carina Schmoll
Thank you very much for the recognition! I am very pleased.
And my book was also mentioned here:
Thank you very much! I am delighted!
Finally, I would like to let you know, that my book is now also available as an e-book:
And now, as the Easter fires burn across the country tomorrow to drive away winter and light up the Easter Vigil, I hope that the universal idea of forgiveness and togetherness and the anticipation of spring will take hold for all of us - and not just the Christians in this country. With this in mind...here's to a beautiful spring and an even better summer!
