It has been a difficult week in Berlin since the infamous attack upon innocent civilians in Israel. There have been pro-Hamas demonstrations with rocks thrown at police (subsequent demonstrations in Berlin have been banned in the interest of public safety), Stars of David were painted on the front doors of Jewish residents, and last night, Molotov cocktails were thrown at a synagogue in Berlin.
Today, Jörg Quoos, the. Editor of Berliner Morgenpost, has written an excellent editorial in which he calls on his fellow citizens to defend their Jewish fellow citizens. He also points the finger of blame for the Jew hatred largely where it belongs.
The article is translated by Fousesquawk.
Caption: Jörg Quoos. Editor of Berliner Morgenpost
Synagogue attack in Berlin: Now we are all challenged
Jews in Berlin can no longer feel safe. We must all stand up against hate, Jörg Quoos demands
First, there were hateful words. Then apartment doors smeared with the Star of David. Now the first incendiary devices thrown at a synagogue.
Since the Hamas attack on the population of Israel, the security situation for Jews in Berlin has worsened. Real- but also emotional, which is no less bad after the experiences Jews in Germany have had to go through.
It is right to forbid further hate demonstrations
Only the ignorant could overlook that this is a giant problem with open, dangerous Jew-hatred, which not only the State, but the entire civil society must stand against with all its weight. Justice, police, interior authorities, and not least, the governing mayor have so far made their stance clear. It is right to ban further hate demonstrations because only hate and violence, not peace come from them. But more police will not prevent the climate for our Jewish fellow citizens from becoming harsher and more dangerous.
In a metropolis like Berlin, it is not possible to provide security in every square meter. The police are already working overtime to guarantee security for Jewish institutions. It is up to all of us to give Jews in public life a feeling of safety. Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, in an interview with Berliner Morgenpost, describes it well: "When the majority is silent, that has consequences for the reality of Jewish people in Germany".
Uncomfortable truths must not be ignored
If the security of Israel, as the chancellor says, is a raison d'etre, then it is also true for the safety of Jews on German soil. And the State is the citizens. Every individual can do something. For example, showing solidarity at vigils and demonstrations. Contradicting tasteless jokes. Contradicting when crude conspiracy theories at the cost of Jews flood social media. Contradicting when barbaric murder attacks against civilians are rhetorically placed at the level with hard military reaction. Contradict when a politician pretends that illegal migration in the last few years has nothing to do with creating security problems.
Caption: Police vehicles in front of synagogue on Rykestrasse in Prenzlauer Berg (Berlin)
It is a fact that Jews in Germany feel threatened by many groups of Arab origin, who have brought their Jew hatred when they arrived here. Yes, we should not form a general suspicion in these cases, in this, the (federal) president is right. After all, it was a right-wing German extremist who, in 2019 wanted to carry out mass murder at the synagogue in Halle. But we must look at each case in detail and without prejudice, and we cannot ignore uncomfortable truths just because they, perhaps, do not fit our worldview.
Civil courage of all is needed
It is easy to recognize in which Berlin districts Jews and the state of Israel encounter the greatest hate. It is the areas in which for years, a parallel society has been built, notable not only for Jew hatred but also for a mountain of additional problems for the police. The laxity that several Berlin governments is responsible for is taking a toll.
It is possible that the coming days will be decisive for the Jews in Germany and the whole world. It depends on our own civil courage that the "days of unprecedented anger" find no innocent victims.
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