Germans Must Ensure Jews Can Openly Wear Kippas, President Says

(Bloomberg) -- Germans must have the courage to aggressively combat growing antisemitism and ensure Jews can wear kippas in public spaces without fear of attack, according to the the country’s president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

“We cannot tolerate it when Jews do not dare wear kippas on our streets,” Steinmeier said in the text of a speech in Heidelberg on Monday. “The fight against anti-Semitism demands civil courage -- turning a blind eye and a deaf ear, saying or doing nothing when Jewish citizens are insulted, mocked or violently attacked -- that cannot and should not be an option for any of us.”

The number of hate crimes against Jews, including vandalism of tombstones or synagogues, has been rising in Germany in recent years. Many are perpetrated by neo-Nazis but increasingly by people of Arabic or Turkish background.

Last month, Germany’s commissioner for anti-Semitism, Felix Klein, acknowledged that he couldn’t recommend that Jews wear a kippa head covering everywhere and at any time. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the head of the ruling Christian Democrats, visited the Central Jewish Council on Monday and said it is unacceptable that Jews have to think twice before wearing a kippa in public.

In Monday’s speech, during an anniversary ceremony for the University for Jewish Studies in Heidelberg, Steinmeier said he is worried that anti-Semitic behavior is spreading.

“It fills me with much concern that anti-Semitism is becoming acceptable again in the middle class,” according to his speech text.

To contact the reporter on this story: Raymond Colitt in Berlin at rcolitt@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Iain Rogers, Chris Reiter

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.