A German left-wing political party has apologised after it published social media posts marking Yom Kippur, but used a photo of the Dome of the Rock.
The branch of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Hessen - a central German state which includes the city of Frankfurt - posted a tweet and Facebook post that wished Jews "G'Mar Chatima Tova" ahead of Yom Kippur, but came under fire for using a photo of the Dome of the Rock in the Old City of Jerusalem, which is one of the most important sites in Islam.
The party's head of press for the Hessen state blamed an error in "checking and control mechanisms", but took full responsibility for the "stupid" mistake and apologised profusely.
SPD Hessen wished Jews a happy Yom Kippur... with a photo of Al Aqsa Mosque pic.twitter.com/vzqcstekWx
— James Jackson (@derJamesJackson) October 5, 2022
After the image was posted, SPD Hessen came under heavy fire on social media, with many criticising the insensitivity of the post given that the area is very close to highly significant historical sites significant in both Judaism and Christianity, and is a frequent flashpoint in the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Dome was only accessible to Muslims until 1967, after which non-Muslims were permitted access, but are not permitted to pray, bring prayer books, or wear religious apparel.
The posts were deleted after 12 hours, after which Christoph Gehring, the Hessen state party's head of press issued a "sincere" apology.
He took personal responsibility for the error, writing: "I apologise personally and on behalf of the institutions I speak for for this mistake, which of course should never have happened.
"In English one would probably say: I must apologise but I can't excuse it."
Im Englischen würde man wahrscheinlich sagen: I must apologize but I can’t excuse it. [4/10]
— SPD Hessen (@hessenSPD) October 5, 2022
He said that "checking and control mechanisms" for social media posts did not work as intended, but added that the exact mistake "is irrelevant for the public discussion".
He went on to say that no politician had seen or approved the posts before they were published, and added: "Shame and disgrace should therefore be aimed solely at the press office and at me as its head.
"My sincere apologies to members of the Jewish community and anyone who felt provoked, offended, or offended by the post, and therefore not to project their justified anger onto the SPD Hessen and its parliamentary group - the failure in this case was individual, not collective."
The reaction to the apology on social media was positive, with many describing it as genuine and "absolutely sufficient".
