Jews Leaving?

From the DW:
"How safe are Jews in Germany?"

 

Can Jews feel safe in Germany? Not everywhere, says the Central Council of Jews, citing hostility from Muslim citizens as one of the reasons. Muslim representatives have even acknowledged that there are problems. The Bavarian regional parliament made an appeal: Its delegates unanimously adopted a motion that called on Jews to stay in the southern German state. "Dear Jewish fellow citizens, we guarantee that we will do everything in our power to safeguard your security and that of your establishments," said Oliver Jörg of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU). These well-meant words have been directed at the Jewish community at a time when people are, once again, questioning how safe it is for Jews to live in Germany. The debate was sparked by the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, in an interview with the Berlin broadcaster RBB Inforadio on Thursday (26.02.2015).  Jews should not hide away in fear, he said: Most Jewish buildings and institutions were well protected. "However," he went on, "the question is whether in problematic neighborhoods, areas with a large Muslim population, it's really sensible to announce yourself as a Jew by wearing a kippah, or whether it's better to wear a different head covering." Schuster said that while the phenomenon of increasing anti-Semitism is not new, in the past year the Central Council of Jews had consciously observed an unexpected alliance for the first time: "There's the far right on the one hand, combined with an anti-Semitism on the left that presents itself as anti-Israel sentiment, and all this is combined with anti-Semitism among young Muslims." The Central Council of Muslims (ZMD) expressed understanding for Schuster's comments. "These fears are justified," Aiman Mazyek, the secretary-general of the ZMD, told the Berliner Zeitung. He pointed out that the ZMD had explicitly distanced itself from attacks on Jews by young Muslims. The question of whether Jews can feel safe in Germany provokes a strong response with the German public. For many, it's a horror scenario to think that, 70 years after the Holocaust, Jews could once again be the focus of hostilities. German Interior Minister, Thomas de Maizière, for example, has expressed great concern that the Jewish community in Germany should find it necessary to debate whether or not it is safe there. The warning from the Central Council coincided with the publication of new figures concerning anti-Semitic attacks. According to information gathered by the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, 864 such crimes were recorded last year – an increase of 10 percent on 2012, when there were 788. Jan Riebe, the leader of the foundation's project, pointed out that there were also a lot of unrecorded cases. "Many offenses go unreported, which is also because of the very low percentage of crimes that get solved," he said. The German interior ministry suspects that, when all the data is collated, the total figure will be much higher than the one provided by the foundation.

 

 

^ It is the 70th anniversary of when the death camps and World War 2 ended and the world could no longer claim in didn't know what was happening during the Holocaust. The attacks on Jews (in Germany and around the world) have been growing. A lot of it has to do with Muslims joining radical terrorist groups (Al-Qaeda, IS, etc.) It is pathetic that in the second decade of the 21st Century anyone (Jew, Muslim, Christian, atheist) has to feel threatened anywhere in the world for their beliefs, but that is the sad reality. There is growing anger around the world of foreigners and those considered "foreign" even if they have always been living in a country (especially those that move someplace and only want to practice their own ways rather than integrate into their new society.) When I lived in Germany as a teenager I saw first-hand attacks by Germans against Americans, the Kurds and the Turks (and this was in western Germany and not in the eastern part as everyone always assumes.) Those feelings of anger from back then have just continued to grow into what is has become today. Many Germans  - especially the younger ones - think that everything that was bad happened in the past and don't want to see or hear about it while Neo-Nazis and others stand right in front of them with their message of anti-Semitism. Many radical Muslims in Germany have seized on that German hatred to help further their own cause against the Jews and Israel ("the enemy of my enemy is my friend" so to speak.) To be Jewish anywhere today is difficult. For those not in Israel (while they are still attacked there they have always successfully stopped any outside aggression against them) it may seem scary. Every local and Federal government needs to do more to protect anyone that is threatened within their jurisdiction. It is one thing to talk big and another to also ensure a safe environment. ^

 

http://www.dw.de/how-safe-are-jews-in-germany/a-18285899