Antisemitism in Germany: A Lack of Empathy?
Since the Hamas terror attack in Israel, antisemitism has been on the rise in Germany.
Since the Hamas terror attack in Israel, antisemitism has been on the rise in Germany. How is Germany's Jewish culture scene dealing with all the hate?Stars of David sprayed provocatively on building walls, pro-Palestinian demonstrators yelling antisemitic chants, an attack on a synagogue: Since the attack by the militant Islamist terror group Hamas on Israel on October 7, antisemitism has returned in force to Germany.
"I'm surprised by the social coldness and the lack of empathy among many people," Andrei Kovacs, managing director of the association "1,700 Years of Jewish Life in Germany"told DW. "There's a long silence in the German cultural scene and very little moral courage in the society. The situation is worrying."
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'Not an exclusively German problem'
The war in the Middle East is complex and Kovacs is open to political debate on the issue. "But October 7 was a turning point for Jewish life, [it was] a pogrom, a bestial massacre," he says. "You can't use historical or political context to relativize these actions."
Kovacs' association organized several informative events on Jewish traditions and culture in 2021 in celebration of the 1,700-year anniversary of the Jewish community in Germany.
"We designed low-threshold concepts and were particularly focused on rural areas where Judaism is not so widespread and little is known about it," he says.
In the wake of current events, does he feel his efforts were for naught?
"Antisemitism has a long tradition and is not an exclusively German problem," says Kovacs. Fighting it takes perseverance.
The number of antisemitic crimes in German has risen sharply since the Hamas attack on Israel. Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office, the BKA, registered 680 antisemitic-motivated offenses, more than 550 in connection to the current crisis in the Middle East. That's well about the national average. BKA president Holger Münch warns there is a grave danger of escalation.
Igor Levit stages concert for solidarity
Star pianist Igor Levit is also shocked by what he calls an "explosion of antisemitism and hatred of Jews" as well as a "lack of empathy" within German society.
"I have lost my basic trust in what German society is like," he told weekly magazine Die Zeit in a recent interview. Levit sees hatred of Jews not just as a personal threat but as a threat to the "basis for the existence of this Federal Republic." He feels rage and, he says, would like to scream: "Don't you realize that it's directed against you? 'Death to the Jews!' really means 'Death to Democracy!'"
Words, however, are not enough for the Jewish pianist, who emigrated from Russia to Germany with his parents in 1995. Together with the Berlin Ensemble, one of the city's most acclaimed theater companies, Levit is staging a concert of solidarity in the German capital on Monday, November 27.
On Instagram, Levit called on everyone to attend as "a sign, a statement against antisemitism. Because there can be no neutrality, no indifference when it comes to hatred of Jews, when it comes to hatred of people of any form. Never."
The concert is being held under the title: "Against Silence. Against Antisemitism."
In addition to the music, a public discussion is planned featuring DW moderator Michel Friedman, ZDF journalist Dunja Hayali, climate activist Luisa Neubauer, actor Ulrich Noethen, pop star Sven Regener and actress and theater director Katharina Thalbach.
Some two weeks ago, Levit surprised patients and staff at the Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv with a spontaneous concert. The clinic treated numerous victims of the October 7 Hamas attack. The German ambassador to Israel posted a video of Levit's performance on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Beforehand, the pianist performed for a small group whose family members are among the hostages held by Hamas. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, Germany, the European Union and the United States.
A packed suitcase
In his Die Zeit interview, Levit says he is considering leaving Germany but has not yet made that decision.
Unlike Deborah Middelhoff. The editor in chief of Feinschmecker magazine, a culinary title that's part of Hamburg's Jahreszeiten publishing house, has confirmed she and her husband are emigrating.
"Against the background of my membership in the Jewish religious community and due to the current developments in Germany, I have decided to move the center of my life abroad," she said in a statement, via the publisher.
Are many Jews in Germany packing their bags? "I worry they are, but fear is the wrong reaction," says Andrei Kovacs.
His grandparents survived the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The question of whether Germany is his home is a constant one. "I always have one eye on the suitcase," he says, but adds that he feels emboldened by the broad support he's received from Germany politicians and parts of civil society. "That gives me courage."
This article was originally written in German.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 27, 2023 08:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).