Since Hamas’ attack on Israel, life has changed completely for Freddy Ries. The Maccabi athlete feels excluded. Being Jewish has become problematic.
“A few days ago my sports friend Mustafa called me,” says Freddy Ries in an interview tagesschau.de. “We did sports together for ten years. He always showed me new strength exercises and we went running together. Now he doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore.” Mustafa’s family was pressured not to meet with him anymore. Ries is Jewish. He now has no contact with his Muslim friend Mustafa.
Since Hamas’ attack on Israel, life has changed completely for Freddy Ries in the Baden-Württemberg city of Baden-Baden. He used to be able to go to synagogue on Saturdays without any problems. Now he has to forego clothing that makes him recognizable as a Jew. Otherwise he will be looked at strangely and observed in the city.
“Being Jewish and Jewish people are suddenly problematic. On the bus I hear conversations that equate Jews with Israel’s politics,” says the 66-year-old. “I’ve never lived in Israel and only speak broken Hebrew.” His neighbors are friendly as always, but they hardly talk to him or his wife for any longer. Ries feels more and more excluded.
One of the worst things for him is that he can no longer wear the jersey of his sports club Makkabi Baden-Baden. Freddy Ries co-founded the club five years ago. For fear of attacks, the umbrella organization Makkabi Germany has now recommended that athletes no longer wear the jersey in public. The Star of David is unmistakably emblazoned on the chest as the club’s emblem. The Makkabi Berlin club had even stopped playing for a while.
The umbrella organization Makkabi Germany has recommended that the jersey no longer be worn in public
Concern for children
The fear does not seem unfounded. Investigating authorities count a total of 80 anti-Semitic cases of property damage. Just a few days ago, anti-Semitic slogans appeared on the walls of Rastatt Castle – less than 20 kilometers from Baden-Baden. Michael Kolganov has also lived there for around eight years. The 49-year-old is a two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist in canoeing. He is also a member of the Makkabi Baden-Baden club, and he no longer wears his jersey in public.
He worries most about his son. He is 14 years old and goes to school in Baden-Baden. “I told him: It’s better not to go to school with the jersey anymore. We’ve never been attacked, but we just don’t feel safe here anymore,” says Kolganov. He actually doesn’t want to hide, but the current situation for Jews in Germany is bad.
A place for all people
Freddy Ries doesn’t want to hide either. So this week he gathered his courage and jogged again in his Makkabi shirt. “There was no one on the street and yet I noticed how traumatized I was by the situation. I couldn’t walk normally, I was always looking around,” he says in the conversation and then is silent for a long time before he starts again: “We in Germany “We are not to blame for the conflict. Neither the Jews nor the Muslims. I wish that we can all just live together again here, in peace.”
Maccabi is a place for all athletes, regardless of faith. Also for Mustafa, his long-time sports colleague. He hopes to be able to go to the fitness park with him again soon.