Terrorism: Anniversary of the Hamas attack: Jewish communities under pressure

On the first anniversary of Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, the massacre and the counterattack in the Gaza Strip are remembered in many places in Germany. At the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and dozens of other locations around the world, activists read out the names of 1,170 murdered and 255 kidnapped at 5:29 a.m. – the start of the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaks at the commemoration in Berlin in the afternoon, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in Hamburg in the evening.

Eight out of ten Jewish communities complain about insecurity

In a new situation report, the Central Council of Jews in Germany described the state of emergency in its communities for a year. The survey from August and September shows that 42 percent of communities reported anti-Semitic incidents such as graffiti, threatening calls or insults this year. According to the information, leaders from 98 of the 105 communities took part.

82 percent stated that it had become less safe to live and appear as a Jew in Germany. Compared to the previous survey by the Central Council at the end of 2023, this value increased by four percentage points. Two thirds of leaders see negative consequences for their community. “The communities are at their limits in terms of personnel, emotions and organization,” reported the Central Council.

Roth: “Remembering the darkest history”

Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens) explained that the fight against anti-Semitism everywhere in society is all the more urgent, including in art and culture. “The number of anti-Semitic incidents in this country has since reached alarming proportions,” warned Roth. “When Jews are attacked on the street here, it is a shameful reminder of images from this country’s darkest history.”

On October 7, 2023, terrorists from the radical Islamist Hamas and other groups killed around 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped around 250 others as hostages in the Gaza Strip. This was the trigger for the Gaza war that continues to this day. At the same time, the number of anti-Semitic incidents around the world skyrocketed. Since then, there have been pro-Palestinian demonstrations almost every day in Germany. Several have also been announced for Monday evening in many German cities, including Berlin.

To secure the memorial events and demonstrations in the capital, more than 2,000 police officers from the capital and other federal states are on duty. Federal President Steinmeier takes part in an interreligious service in the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Charlottenburg in the afternoon.

Scholz at the memorial ceremony in Hamburg

In Hamburg, a memorial ceremony with Chancellor Scholz is planned in the Hohe Weide synagogue in the evening. The President of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, Charlotte Knobloch and Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), among others, are expected to attend a memorial event at the Ohel Jakob synagogue in Munich. Commemorative events are also planned in many other cities.

After a year of war between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas, the Federal Government’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, complains that Islamists in Germany are increasingly being trivialized. “After October 7th the floodgates broke,” Klein told the “Rheinische Post” (Monday). The German discourse has become radicalized and hardened, especially at universities.

“You can see this in the fact that red Hamas triangles, which are target markers, are sprayed on buildings. Institutes have been occupied and people who have nothing at all to do with the Middle East conflict have been attacked,” explained Klein. He also criticized the jubilation of migrant groups in Germany over Iran’s rocket attack on Israel. The representative also noted: “However, there is a certain numbness among the population in general when it comes to the issue of anti-Semitism. The visible solidarity shown with Israel is also decreasing.”

The parliamentary managing director of the Union faction in the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei, criticized pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the same newspaper and called them difficult to bear. At the same time, Frei called for better protection for Jews in Germany.