Arye Sharuz Shalicar speaks for the Israeli army in German media. The fact that the Göttingen native came there has a lot to do with the anti-Semitism of his youth in Berlin. Who is the man?
“Have you looked at the pictures, the videos of Hamas’ atrocities?” Arye asks Sharuz Shalicar on the phone. Who has that? Already the first seconds of the footage of the shocking crimes on October 7, 2023 are so unbelievable that you inevitably stop and look away. He, the spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), looked at them all. For professional reasons, but also because he thinks it has to be done: “It is necessary to realize what happened, not only to recognize the brutality, but also the hatred, the ridicule and the pride in one’s own actions .” As a long-time member of the Israeli army, he had no illusions about Hamas. “Even I couldn’t imagine that they were capable of such atrocities.”
Author and speaker in his old homeland
Until October 7, 2023, Arye Sharuz Shalicar had been a simple citizen of his country, an officer in the reserve, an administrative employee, a father near Tel Aviv. In his old home of Germany, however, he has become a successful book author and sought-after lecturer over the years. His first book, “A wet dog is better than a dry Jew,” has been made into a film.
Rarely has a story told the fragility of post-migrant life in Berlin better than this one: the son of refugees from Iran, himself born in Göttingen, is left in the dark by his own parents about the family’s Jewish identity – out of the mistaken belief that they are protecting him . The opposite is the case: after moving to Berlin, the adolescent becomes the hero of his youth gang, which consists primarily of Muslim young people. He founded a notorious gang of graffiti sprayers and became part of the group “Berlin Crime” as rapper “BossARO”. The name is program. Then comes the break.