Growing anti-Semitism: Israel's ambassador sounds the alarm

Society - Growing anti-Semitism: Israel's ambassador sounds the alarm

Israel's ambassador Ron Prosor is calling for a more determined response to the growing anti-Semitism in Germany. "The fact that Jews are afraid to go out on the street with a kippah or speak into their cell phones in Hebrew, that simply cannot be. We have to wake up," he told the German Press Agency.

"People who are afraid to bring their children to school if the school is not protected: These are conditions that are not normal," warned Prosor, who has been ambassador in Berlin since 2022. "The fear is really there."

More than 1100 anti-Semitic crimes

Since the terrorist attack by Islamist Hamas on Israel on October 7, anti-Semitic crimes in Germany have risen significantly. The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) recorded more than 1,100 offenses in the criminal police reporting service for cases of politically motivated crime in connection with the escalation of the Middle East conflict alone by December 21, as a BKA spokesperson told dpa on request. These were mainly cases of damage to property and incitement to hatred.

This is significantly more than in any of the first three quarters of this year, for which the Federal Ministry of the Interior last published figures in November. According to these figures, 558 anti-Semitic crimes were registered in the first quarter, 609 in the second quarter and 540 in the third quarter. These figures include all offenses - those motivated by left-wing and right-wing extremism as well as those from the categories "religious ideology" and "foreign ideology".

The more than 1100 crimes since the beginning of October, on the other hand, are only those recorded in connection with the escalation of the Middle East conflict. The total number is therefore likely to be significantly higher. Last year - as of November 2023 - a total of 2874 anti-Semitic crimes were recorded, including 88 acts of violence.

Ambassador calls for: Close educational gaps

Prosor emphasized that the rise in anti-Semitism is not a purely German problem. "However, it is even more important to change this in Germany than elsewhere," he said. "When Molotov cocktails are thrown to set fire to synagogues, you can't just react with words, you have to do something practical."

Prosor called for action to be taken in schools and for gaps in education about Israel to be closed. "We have a real problem with young people. The younger people are, the more alienated they are from Israel," he told dpa. "We have a task here, we have to ensure better education about Israel, for example in schools."

Anti-Semitism as a danger for society as a whole

We have to ask ourselves in which reality, in which society and in which country we actually want to live, said Prosor. "In a country where police officers have to protect kindergartens? In a country where Jewish schools have to be protected day and night? In a country where Stars of David are spray-painted on houses where Jews live?" he asked. "This cannot be considered normal."

Anti-Semitism is dangerous, regardless of whether it comes from the radical right, the radical left or Muslims, the ambassador emphasized. "It is always a danger - not just for Jews, but for society as a whole."

Prosor praises the actions of the security authorities

The diplomat praised the actions of the German security authorities against anti-Semitism and the growing threat of terrorism. In mid-December, four suspected members of the Islamist Hamas were arrested in Berlin and Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The three suspects from Berlin - one Egyptian and two Lebanese-born - are accused by the federal prosecutor's office of searching for weapons that were to be kept ready for possible attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe.

"I believe that the German authorities are aware of the danger. We must remain vigilant because international terrorism is constantly arming itself," said Prosor. "The constitutional state must always be one step ahead of the terrorists."