"Judensau" relief is to be supplemented by a new information board

A new information board on the anti-Jewish insulting relief “Judensau”, which dates back to the Middle Ages, will be erected at the town church in Wittenberg. That was decided by the evangelical city church community, as a spokesman said on Wednesday. In the new panel text, the Jewish people are asked for forgiveness for the first time, the spokesman said. Compared to the previous text, the community is clearly opposed to anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism.

What should happen to the "Judensau" relief on the church itself has not yet been decided. The City Council discussed this at length and at great length. The very complex topic requires further intensive deliberations. The Jewish voice is very important to the community, said the spokesman for the evangelical city church community. A council of experts had recommended removing the relief as soon as possible.

The relief, which according to historians was created in the Middle Ages, shows a sow whose teats are being suckled by two people who are said to be identified as Jews by their pointed hats. A figure believed to be a rabbi raises the animal's tail and looks into the anus. In the Jewish faith, pigs are considered unclean.

Martin Luther (1483-1546) preached in the town church, which is considered the “mother church of the Reformation”. Luther was also criticized for his anti-Jewish statements. Luther is a central figure in historical Christian hatred of Jews; according to Luther, Jews should become Christians or lost their right to exist. Anti-Semites still refer to Luther's fantasies about Jews' collective intentions to murder Christians, and many of his texts were republished and read under National Socialism.