German Federal Court rejects attempt to remove antisemitic Relic

BERLIN -- Tuesday's rejection by a German federal court of a Jewish man who sought to remove a 700-year-old antisemitic plaque from a Lutheran church, which was being held in Berlin, was rejected.

German Federal Court rejects attempt to remove antisemitic Relic

BERLIN -- Tuesday's rejection by a German federal court of a Jewish man who sought to remove a 700-year-old antisemitic plaque from a Lutheran church, which was being held in Berlin, was rejected.

The Federal Court of Justice upheld lower court rulings on the "Judensau," also known as "Jew Pig" sculpture at Wittenberg's Town Church. This is one of many relics of the Middle Ages that can still be found in churches throughout Germany and Europe. These rulings were a result of the recent addition of an information sign and a memorial.

After the Eastern State of Saxony Anhalt ruled against Michael Duellmann in 2019, and 2020, the case was transferred to the Federal Court. He had claimed that the sculpture was a "defamation and insult to the Jewish people" and that it has "a terrible impact up to this point." He suggested that the sculpture be moved to the Luther House museum.

The sculpture is placed on the church at four meters (13 feet above the ground) and depicts Jews sucking the teats from a sow, while a Rabbi lifts the animal's head. After the Protestant Reformation in 1570, an inscription that refers to an anti-Jewish tract from Luther was added.

A memorial was placed in the ground below in 1988 to commemorate the persecution of Jews as well as the 6 million Holocaust victims. A sign provides information in English and German about the sculpture.

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