Schuster: Little understanding for pinning the yellow star
When incendiary devices flew towards a synagogue in Berlin recently following the Hamas terror attack on Israel, the Jewish community warned: "85 years after the Reich Pogrom Night, synagogues are set to burn again in Germany's capital." Is that an exaggeration? Questions for the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster.
Question: In your view, are there historical parallels today to the Nazi pogroms of November 9, 1938?
Answer: Yes and no. Yes, it was an arson attack on a synagogue that addresses historical traumas, and that is real. No, because in 1938 the whole thing was a state-led pogrom. Thank God there is no question of that in Germany today. Today, there are very clear statements from the political side for Israel and for Jewish life in Germany, and from the state side there is the best possible protection for Jewish institutions. That makes the essential difference.
Question: The Israeli UN ambassador has pinned a yellow star on himself, since the Hamas attack there has been talk of the murder of most Jews in one day since the Shoah. Do you see a danger that the uniqueness of the Holocaust is being relativized?
Answer: Here, too, we need to differentiate. The statement that this is the biggest massacre of Jews since the Shoah is correct. After the Shoah, it was internationally agreed that something like this must never happen again. When more than 1,400 Jews are murdered, desecrated or kidnapped in one day, that is a turning point. On the other hand, despite the drama of the situation and the UN's difficult stance, I have little sympathy for the pinning of the Yellow Star. It tends to relativize the Shoah.
"The fear of terror is there"
Question: Many Jews report fears and insecurity in Germany. What is the mood like?
Answer: There is a great deal of uncertainty, there is also fear. Some of it is not really tangible. I also think that the fear that is now spreading is rather abstract. Yes, in Berlin I see bigger problems in Neukölln, for example. As a recognizable Jew, I wouldn't want to walk there today either. But you can't generalize that to the whole of Germany. The fact is that Jewish institutions and synagogues have been well protected in terms of personnel and technology since the attack by a right-wing extremist on the synagogue in Halle in 2019. Nevertheless, there is this abstract threat of terror. And the fear of terror is there."
Question: There is no lack of distancing and messages of solidarity from politicians. Do you also feel solidarity from society?
Answer: Yes, that is very clear. It was very clear after the attack on Israel on October 7, but even now. We receive letters and phone calls. This sympathy is remarkable. However, there is a change in the social mood that was foreseeable but is nevertheless depressing: in the beginning, the mood was very pro-Israel and in favor of Israel's right to self-defense. Now, as was to be expected, there are also unpleasant images in Israel's defensive struggle. People forget that Hamas is deliberately using the civilian population as a shield to provoke these images.
Question: You yourself have sharply criticized the Israeli government in the past. Is such criticism of Israel still possible in times of war?
Answer: In my opinion, it is still possible to criticize the policies of the Israeli government. However, the change to the legal system in Israel that I criticized is not an issue at the moment. Nobody is interested in that at the moment.
Schuster: There is a lack of ideas on how to resolve the conflict on German streets
Question: The fact that Jewish institutions now have to be additionally secured is a depressing symbol. Do you see any possibility of reducing this in the future?
Answer: Yes, it can return to normal. This protection creates a sense of security and gives Jewish people the opportunity to visit Jewish institutions. I also think it's wrong to say that police protection for kindergartens is bad for the children. For the children, the police officers are friends, they don't find them threatening. For parents, they are a safety factor. I think these measures are absolutely right. I hope that they can be scaled back again as soon as possible. The pipe dream is that no security measures at all should be necessary for Jewish institutions. But I'm afraid that will remain a pipe dream for a long time to come.
Question: How could the social conflict between people of Jewish religion and people of Palestinian origin in Germany be pacified?
Answer: There is a key, but unfortunately a lot has been lost in the last three weeks. I would have liked the Muslim associations to have clearly condemned Hamas. Unfortunately, we have heard very, very little from them. The reference to the historical context is also wrong: there can be no historical context for terror. If Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan then also incites hatred of Israel, then I also lack ideas on how to resolve the conflict on German streets - except that the German constitutional state uses all available measures. Anyone who does not have a residence permit and incites anti-Semitism must be deported. Anyone who has a residence permit or a German passport must be prosecuted and severely punished.
Personal details: Josef Schuster (69) is a doctor and has been President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany since 2014.
In light of the historical trauma of the Nazi pogroms, the arson attack on a synagogue in Berlin serves as a reminder of the past, although it is not state-led like the 1938 pogroms. Despite the fear and uncertainty among Jews, there has been clear support and protection from political and state authorities in Germany.
In the ongoing conflict between Jews and people of Palestinian origin in Germany, criticism towards the Israeli government can still be expressed, but the lack of condemnation from Muslim associations and incitement from Turkish President Erdogan complicates efforts to pacify the social conflict. The German constitutional state must use all available measures to deal with individals who incite anti-Semitism, whether they have a residence permit or not. [ Reference: Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, speaking to dpa.com ]
Source: www.dpa.com
