A court in Germany has rejected a case calling for a local church associated with the Protestant firebrand Martin Luther to remove an ancient antisemitic carving from its wall.
Known as the Judensau (Jews’ sow), the 13th-century bas-relief on the church in Wittenberg, Saxony-Anhalt state, depicts a rabbi peering into a pig’s anus, while other figures suckle from its teats. [...]
A panel of judges at the state’s superior court in Naumburg found the image “did not harm Jews’ reputation” because it was “embedded” in a wider memorial context, the presiding judge, Volker Buchloh, said, according to regional broadcaster MDR. [...]
Many churches in the Middle Ages had similar Judensau carvings, which were also aimed at sending the stark message that Jews were not welcome in their communities.
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