By Tag Clar Editorial
At a protest rally in Erfurt, a grandson from the Jewish Simson family named Dennis Baum strongly positioned himself against the extremist AfD party. At this event, held to protest the congress of this party, he loudly stated, "Keep the name Simson away from politics."
A History Shadowed by Modern Politics
Baum, 82 years old, pointed out that his family still adheres to Judaism, which never aligns with the extremist agendas of the AfD party. He described the party's threats against immigrants, people of different skin colors, and sexual minorities as "deplorable" and emphasized that his family does not want to be involved in these matters.
Simson motorcycles, which symbolize youth and a specific culture in East Germany, especially models like the "Schwalbe" and S50/51, are very popular among young people. However, Baum stated that he was greatly surprised when he became aware of the extremists' proximity to Simson motorcycles.
The history of the Simson factory in the city of Suhl dates back to the Jewish Simson brothers and is part of the history of Jews in Thuringia. This family was forced to leave Germany in 1936 due to Nazi policies and immigrated to the United States. Dennis Baum, as the spokesperson for the Simson family now living in America, is traveling to various parts of Germany and has recently visited Suhl as well as the new synagogue in Erfurt.
