Since the Hamas massacre a year ago, solidarity with Israel and the Jewish communities has been expressed. But hatred of Jews has increased – sometimes openly, sometimes as supposed criticism of Israel.
“You’re always looking over your shoulder, you’re always looking to see where someone I trust is.” This is how Hanna Veiler describes her student life. She is chairwoman of the Jewish Student Union Germany.
She and many other Jews grew up with the fact that events in Israel also influenced their lives here in Germany. There were police officers in front of the synagogues and Jewish schools – sometimes there were more, sometimes there were a few fewer. That was part of everyday life.
“Tsunami of open, radical anti-Semitism”
Since October 7, 2023, she and her Jewish fellow students have been experiencing what she calls a “tsunami of open, radical anti-Semitism.” At many universities, pro-Palestinian students dominate the discourse; in some places they simply outshout everyone else. Under the guise of criticism of Israel, open anti-Semitism has long since taken over there.
“Jewish students sometimes don’t dare to walk across campus; they only go to university events if they really have to,” says Veiler. Some Jewish student events have been canceled due to security concerns or are taking place amid protests and police protection.
Invisibly Jewish
Protection was also increased at the synagogue of the Kahal Adass Yisroel community on Berlin’s Brunnenstrasse. In October 2023, an unknown person threw Molotov cocktails at the community center. Nobody was injured at that time. But the fear remained.
The security precautions were massively increased, and for the first time this year the summer festival did not simply take place in the park. Many Jewish families try not to attract attention.
They have removed the mezuzah, the small written capsule with the Shema Israel, from their apartment doors, hide the Star of David and no longer wear kippahs in public. They take detours when they go home from the synagogue and don’t order from the delivery service if they have Jewish names.
“After October 7, 2023, we saw anti-Semitism rise sharply this year. Anti-Semitism from the radical Muslim side, but also right-wing extremist anti-Semitism, left-wing extremist anti-Semitism,” says Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews.
The climate for Jews has become cold, says Schuster: “There are Jews who are seriously asking themselves how long it will still be possible to live safely as a Jew in Germany.”
The number of anti-Semitic crimes is increasing. 370 cases of anti-Semitic acts were registered by the Berlin public prosecutor alone in the first half of this year. In addition, there are said to be more than 1,500 acts with a connection to the Middle East. There are also anti-Semitic crimes among them.
Per-Palestinian Demonstrations in Berlin
At pro-Palestinian demonstrations, Israel’s right to exist is repeatedly denied and Hamas’s terrorist attack is described as resistance against “occupiers”. You often hear there that you are only against the Zionists, against the Israeli occupiers, but on the other hand, Hamas and Hezbollah are glorified, both of which are clearly anti-Jewish terrorist organizations.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations and rallies take place almost every day in Berlin. There are always open calls for violence there. The participants come from a wide spectrum: people of Arab origin, Palestinians who have lived here for decades, Islamists, but also left-wing and left-wing extremist groups from the anti-colonialist, communist and socialist scenes.
A pro-Palestinian demonstration in Berlin is accompanied by police officers.
Hatred of politicians, clubs, bars
When Iran bombed Tel Aviv, cheers broke out at one of these demonstrations, just as parts of the scene celebrated more than 1,000 deaths and distributed sweets on Sonnenallee on the evening of October 7th.
The hatred doesn’t just affect Jews and Israelis. It also affects those who are committed to fighting anti-Semitism or who speak out for Israel or Jews. It affects politicians like Berlin’s Senator for Culture Joe Chialo.
And it hits left-wing clubs that take a stand against anti-Semitism or the Neukölln bar “Bajszel”. The area where the Kulturschänke is located is littered with red triangles, which Hamas also uses to mark its enemies.
On the facades there are pro-Palestinian slogans or expressions of sympathy for terrorists. The “Bajszel” has been marked like this almost every day in the past few weeks. A few days ago, a trash can burned in front of the store and the door locks were stuck.
Some guests stay away – out of fear
For Alexander Renner, one of the operators, this is not surprising. “We do a lot of events on anti-Semitism,” he says. “After October 7th, that’s apparently enough to be targeted.” They don’t want to be intimidated and carry on. But some guests stayed away out of fear.
You can also see more on this topic in the documentary “How the Middle East War Divides Germany”.