It is “very, very important” to give children the opportunity to grapple with this religion, state Premier Reiner Haseloff said to the 11 first and second-graders present at the start of the pilot project at a Halle primary school.

Haseloff pointed out that there were differences of origin and religion in society, noting that it was important to get along with one another but also to “know about each other.” Judaism had shaped large parts of society, he added.

Such classes already exist in the western German state of North Rhine Westphalia, said Saxony-Anhalt’s Education Minister Eva Feussner. The offer would be expanded according to demand.

The teacher in Halle is the wife of the rabbi of the Jewish community and will teach the children once a week for 60 minutes, according to Feussner.

The chairman of the Jewish community, Max Privorozki, said he was overjoyed. “This means that the Jewish religious community is on an equal footing with the two big churches – even though we are significantly smaller.”

On October 9, 2019, a heavily armed terrorist had tried to break into the synagogue in Halle on the highest Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, in an apparent attempt to carry out a massacre. However, he failed to enter the place of worship. He later shot two people in the city.