Berlin Jews reportedly hide their Jewish background due to growing antisemitism

Jews in the German capital of Berlin are reportedly increasingly hiding their Jewish identities in public due to the rise of antisemitism in the country, the German news paper Bild reported earlier this month.

Due to security concerns, members of Berlin’s Jewish community no longer publish the full names of children that are celebrating their bar or bat mitzvahs, which used to be a tradition. 

"Dear community members, due to the current anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incidents, we are currently only printing the names of our birthday and Bar/Bat Mitzvah children with abbreviated surnames in order not to potentially put anyone in danger," the local Jewish paper stated. 

Ilan Kiesling, the spokesman for the Jewish community in Berlin, explained the new security reality for local Jews in the post-Oct. 7 era. 

"This threat to Jewish life seems to have reached a new dimension, not only in Berlin, which has led to great uncertainty among our community members," Kiesling told the news outlet Bild. 

Like in many other Western nations, antisemitism has increased dramatically in German society following the Hamas Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping of 251 people from Israel.

Germany's Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS) reported that there were more antisemitic incidents in Berlin in the first half of 2024 (1,383 recorded incidents) than during the entire 2023 (1,270 incidents). 

Following the Holocaust of 6 million Jews, the post-war democratic German state prioritized strong ties with the reborn Jewish state and welcomed tens of thousands of Jews from former Soviet republics. In more recent years Berlin has also attracted thousands of Israelis who have settled there. 

Germany has at the same time also welcomed a large number of immigrants from Muslim-majority societies in the Middle East and beyond. Antisemitism and Holocaust denial are widespread throughout the Arab and Muslim world.

Individuals of Middle Eastern descent are consequently disproportionally involved in the current wave of antisemitism sweeping across Germany and other Western democracies. Germany has outlawed Holocaust denial. 

The German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser vowed in March last year that immigrants who seek German citizenship need to pass questions on Israel, the Holocaust and the Jewish people. 

“Antisemitism, racism, and other forms of contempt for humanity rule out naturalization,” Faeser said in an interview with the news outlet Der Spiegel. “Whoever does not share our values, cannot receive a German passport. We have drawn a crystal-clear red line,” the minister added. 

The new German citizenship law, which was passed in June last year, states that "racism, antisemitism or any other form of misanthropy rule out naturalization." 

Much of the current global antisemitism is focused on Israel's existence. In September 2024, the German Federal Ministry announced that it would deny citizenship to individuals who call for the destruction of Israel.

The ministry specified "statements such as 'From the river to the sea' coincide with an explicit call for violent actions against the State of Israel."

The expression “From the river to the sea” has become a popular slogan at anti-Israel rallies worldwide and calls for “Palestine” to replace the State of Israel in the entire area between the Mediterranean Ocean and the Jordan River.

The New German law also prohibits incitement such as “Death to Israel,” “Let’s go bomb Tel Aviv” and “Israel, child murderer.”  

While the new German law may restrict citizenship for new immigrants, German authorities are still facing the challenge of rising antisemitism among individuals who already reside in Germany.