GERMANY: VIOLENT ISLAMIC ANTI-SEMITISM RISES; GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL WARNS JEWS TO AVOID WEARING KIPPAHS IN PUBLIC
BY CHRISTINE DOUGLASS-WILLIAMS
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
“The German government’s anti-Semitism commissioner on Saturday warned the country’s Jewish community to avoid donning yarmulkes, the traditional Jewish head coverings for males, in some public spaces due to a rise in anti-Semitic crimes.” Such warning is akin to sounding the death knell for religious freedoms in Germany.Commissioner, Felix Klein danced around the issue of Islamic antisemitism and the link between Muslim migration and continued escalation of this phenomenon. Klein “suggested that police, teachers and lawyers should be better trained to recognize what constitutes anti-Semitism…..the internet and social media have largely contributed to this — but so have constant attacks against our culture of remembrance.”Instead of virtually telling Jews outright to stop wearing yarmulkes for their own safety, Germany has a responsibility to protect the rights and freedoms of Jews, and should immediately institute a zero tolerance policy against all antisemitism. It will likely avoid dealing with its violent surge in Islamic anti-semitism however, in efforts to escape the brand of “Islamophobia” and continue its open-door immigration. We see this loathesome term “islamophobia” also applied in America in the face of criticism of the antisemitic statements spewed by Representative Ilhan Omar.Former Democratic candidate for Congress in Florida, Pam Keith, tweeted out:“When you see an attack on @IlhanMN or @RashidaTlaib KNOW that it is not because they are anti-Semitic, but rather because their attackers are Islamophobic. It is NEVER about their intentions. It is ALWAYS because the right sees their presence in Congress as an affront.”In Germany last year….a man wearing the Star of David was beaten down and kicked right in the center of Berlin. Some weeks earlier, a similar incident in Germany’s capital caused public outrage and sparked a nationwide debate on anti-Semitism when a 19-year-old Syrian attacked an Arab-Israeli and his companion with a belt in broad daylight. Both victims wore yarmulkes.The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, told Berlin public radio last year that “Jews should be careful in big cities, after two men wearing kippahs were assaulted”. He went on to say that “defiantly showing your colours would in principle be the right way to go [to tackle anti-Semitism]…..Nevertheless, I would advise individual people against openly wearing a kippah in big German cities.” One can understand Schuster’s concern for the safety of his community, but the government has a responsibility to protect all citizens from violence.As discussed earlier on Jihad Watch, a groundbreaking report by The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies confronted Islamic antisemitism in Germany. The government should now address it instead of ‘tolerating’ the persecution of Jews.“German official warns Jews against wearing kippahs in public”, DW News, May 25, 2019:The German government’s anti-Semitism commissioner on Saturday warned the country’s Jewish community to avoid donning yarmulkes, the traditional Jewish head coverings for males, in some public spaces due to a rise in anti-Semitic crimes.“I cannot advise Jews to wear the kippah everywhere all the time in Germany,” Felix Klein said in an interview carried by the Funke media group, using another word for yarmulke.The official said he had “changed his mind (on the subject) compared to previously.”The number of attacks against Jews in Germany increased from 1,504 in 2017 to 1,646 in 2018 — a rise of 10%. The number of reported violent cases against Jews rose from 37 to 62 over the same period, according to official figures.Justice Minister Katarina Barley told the Handelsblatt newspaper the increase was “shameful for our country” but added that the police were “vigilant.”Last year, a man wearing the Star of David was beaten down and kicked right in the center of Berlin. Some weeks earlier, a similar incident in Germany’s capital caused public outrage and sparked a nationwide debate on anti-Semitism when a 19-year-old Syrian attacked an Arab-Israeli and his companion with a belt in broad daylight. Both victims wore yarmulkes in what was an allegedly anti-Semitic attack. ‘Deep-rooted’ prejudiceAfter several high-profile incidents of anti-Semitic violence, Germany’s Jewish community appealed to the government to institute an anti-Semitism oath for groups seeking public funding.Germany’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, suggested that police, teachers and lawyers should be better trained to recognize what constitutes anti-Semitism.According to Klein, “the lifting of inhibitions and the uncouthness which is on the rise in society” are factors behind the recent anti-Semitic wave.“The internet and social media have largely contributed to this — but so have constant attacks against our culture of remembrance,” he added…..