In April, a family in Berlin was forced to pull their son out of school when he complained that he was being bullied for being a Jew. The Jewish Chronicle reported that the teenager was verbally and physically abused. “Listen, you’re a cool dude, but I can’t be friends with you,” a classmate reportedly told him. “Jews are all murderers.”
Germany, still burdened by the guilt of the past, has taken anti-Semitism very seriously since the Second World War. A culture of remembrance has been set in stone, whether in the Stolpersteine project, the memorial in Berlin, or in the numerous Third Reich walking tours and museums. Using Nazi symbols and denying the Holocaust are illegal. In schools, the Nazi period is taught in painstaking detail. Looking back repeatedly is an important step to move forward, said Emilia Moldovan, a 17-year-old student in Tübingen. “We learn all this so that history should never be repeated.”
Despite this effort, anti-Semitism continues to exist, said Susanne Jakubowski and Barbara Traub of the Israelitische Religionsgemeinschaft Württemberg, the Jewish state association in Stuttgart for Baden-Württemberg. “Nazi symbols are sometimes scribbled on Jewish cemeteries. Recently, a bench that was dedicated to a family that died during the Holocaust was painted over in red to hide the names,” Ms. Jakubowski said.
It is the remnants of this hatred that a recent report submitted to the German Bundestag highlighted. The Independent Expert Group on Anti-Semitism, comprising academics and researchers, found that while traditional forms of anti-Semitism have declined to a large extent, a contemporary form has taken over. “For instance, many criticisms of Israel are extended to Jews in general,” said Beate Kuepper, a social psychologist and professor who was part of the nine-member group. “Sometimes, anti-Semitism is hidden in language: the term ‘east coast bankers’ obviously alludes to Jews.”
Stoking prejudice
In 2012, a similar report was submitted to Parliament, but most of it “just disappeared into a cupboard somewhere”, said Prof. Kuepper. The second expert group was established in response to a motion by the Bundestag factions of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union, the Social Democratic Party, the Free Democratic Party and the Green Party. The 2014 Gaza conflict and demonstrations in Germany, which were accompanied by anti-Semitic slogans, reinforced the calls for a second group. While the 2012 report pointed to how anti-Semitism is still entrenched, the 2017 one includes the perspectives of those affected by anti-Semitism and the role of social media in stoking prejudice.
“We found anti-Semitism to be high among extreme right-wing and sometimes left-wing groups, but also among Muslims. It is higher among Muslims than among non-Muslims,” said Prof. Kuepper. “However, this seems to be mainly a problem not of religion but of socialisation in the countries of origin.” There are also clear differences between Muslims from different regions. “In particular, migrants from Arabic or North African countries tend to be anti-Semitic, and this holds true for Christians in the region too,” the report says.
To tackle this, the report made five key demands, including appointing an ombudsman and establishing a database for anti-Semitic crimes. It also recommends the study of anti-Muslim discrimination. But will anything come out of it given that a new Parliament will be elected in September? “It is a very important topic for the Jews and for Germany as a whole, so we are hopeful,” said Prof. Kuepper.
Radhika Santhanam works for The Hindu and is currently in Munich.
