"Antisemitism in Germany" – by Deidre Berger
Statement for the Public Hearing of the Interior Committee of the German Parliament on the Subject of "Antisemitism in Germany"
by Deidre Berger, Director of the American Jewish Committee Berlin / Lawrence & Lee Ramer Center for German-Jewish Relations
June 16, 2008
Dear Mr. Chairman, dear Ladies and Gentlemen of the Committee!
I am greatly honored to be asked to share with you today perspectives on the fight against antisemitism. This age-old hatred quickly wears thin the tapestry of human rights and civil rights that is the basis for democratic governance. It is of utmost importance to smother the tinder of hatred before it ignites and explodes, as it has all too often done in the past. I congratulate you for calling this hearing.
The shocking outbreak of antisemitic violence in Europe in 2000, as well as the disastrous anti-Israel agenda of many at the 2001 Durban conference, were wake-up calls to intensify the fight against antisemitism in more active and structured ways.
I am pleased to note that the German government, working together closely with the U.S., in coordination with civil society, responded forcefully to the crisis. The German government was instrumental in anchoring antisemitism as a priority within multilateral organizations, including the OSCE, convening a memorable conference in April 2004. The “Berlin Declaration” set the agenda on the fight against antisemitism, underlining expressly the dangers of ever more virulent forms of antisemitism, including one-sided criticism of Israel, incitement against Jews among Islamic extremists, and conspiracy theories targeting alleged Jewish power.
A special ambassador dealing with antisemitism and Holocaust affairs was established at the Federal Foreign Ministry, pursuant to similar appointments in the U.S. and France. At the parliament, two international hearings on antisemitism in 2006 and 2008 were convened and there was a special hearing with representatives of the UK Parliamentary Commission on Antisemitism.
Within civil society, AJC and the Central Council of Jews in Germany convened the NGO Forum Berlin network to bring together major institutions and organizations in Germany dealing with issues of antisemitism. The “Task Force: Education on Antisemitism” has played a major role the past six years linking educators who work on educational strategies to combat antisemitism. Since then, other important networks have been formed, for instance those hosted by the Amadeo-Antonio Foundation, Honestly Concerned and the Berlin Jewish Community. Experts at the Center for Research on Antisemitism at the Technical University are among the institutions providing important research data and educational material, including an interactive CD-ROM for teachers and students to be published in the Fall. The Berlin State Institute for Education and Media (LISUM) has worked with partners to develop model programs on youth leadership and teacher training.
Despite progress, the situation remains serious. Perpetrators span the political spectrum from the far left to the far right, capitalizing on anti-Jewish prejudices and stereotypes that can be found in all sectors of society.
On the far-right, antisemitism remains a central part of the ideology. An NPD delegate speaking in the Saxony state parliament called the Allied bombing of Dresden the “Bombing Holocaust.” A speaker at an NPD rally in Frankfurt in July, 2007, called Frankfurt “Jerusalem am Main, mentioning darkly the “Kraefte, die schon seit Jahrhunderten hinter dem Kapitalismus stehen (the powers that have supported capitalism for centuries).” On the left, there are politicians who call for cooperation with members of terrorist organizations that call for the destruction of the state of Israel. A group of 25 German professors signed a manifesto in 2006 claiming that antisemitism must only be understood as a national problem and that Germans no longer have a special responsibility toward Israel. References by major politicians to capitalists as “Heuschrecken,” an accusation widely repeated in the left-wing press, are dangerous in that they reinforce stereotypes about Jewish capitalists.
The problem is also in the heart of society, where stereotypes continue to abound that Jews are allegedly greedy, revenge-seeking, powerful, conspiratorial and above all working to gain control of the world. Recent critical articles about payments made to Holocaust survivors by the Jewish Claims Conference, abounded with such stereotypes. The problem of antisemitism abounds on the soccer field, particularly in the minor leagues. There is hardly a game that can be played by TuS Makkabi Berlin without antisemitic chants and taunts.
Antisemitism is also expressed violently and more extreme. In the past 18 months, an assailant stabbed a rabbi who was walking to services, a Jewish kindergarten in Berlin was bombed and defaced, gravestones were overturned not once but twice in one week at Europe’s largest Jewish cemetery in Berlin-Weissensee. Jewish children switch on a regular basis to the Jewish school in Berlin to escape antisemitism at their public school.
Problems with antisemitism in the Muslim world have an impact in Germany as well. Antisemitic material has been repeatedly displayed at an annual Turkish-language book fair in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district. Internet websites, including one called “Muslim Market,” according to the 2007 Annual report of the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, feature directly and indirectly anti-Israeli articles.
Highly problematic depictions of the modern state of Israel are omnipresent, from the media to German language children’s literature. For instance, a recent cartoon of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Der Tagesspiegel featured a stereotypical face with a Jewish star shining in one eye and a dollar sign in the other. The publication of the German edition of the Stephen M. Walt and John J. Mearsheimer book on the alleged Israel lobby featured an American flag with Jewish stars superimposed.
The children’s book “Rahel lebt in Israel, Nasser im Westjordanland,” [“Rahel Lives in Israel, Nasser in the West Bank”] explains that the Israelis allegedly expelled most Palestinians even before 1948. The book trivializes the 1967 war by noting that “The conflict between the Arab alliance of Egypt, Jordan and Syria and Israel lasted from June 5 to June 10, 1967.“ The controversial film „Paradise Now,“ a less-than-critical dramatization of two Palestinian suicide bombers, presents numerous cliches and stereotypes about Israelis. The film received the „Amnesty International Film Prize“ at the Berlin Film Festival and nominations for the German Film Prize Award. In Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain, a Berlin district, the local government wants to sponsor an exhibition showing photos of the Berlin Wall in comparison to photos of the security fence in Israel today, overlooking the major distinctions between the two barriers.
What can be done to address the problem of antisemitism?
1) A common definition of antisemitism should be implemented by governments and non-governmental organizations to improve recognition and monitoring.
The collection of antisemitic incidents still do not always occur on a common basis. Comparisons are, thus, hard if not impossible to make. Since 2005 there is a working definition of antisemitism, designed by the then European Union Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC). It is applied by its successor organization, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the OSCE Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. German authorities often use different definitions, however. The above definition is not applied in the 2007 Report of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The basis for the statistical data from the German states is at times even murkier, diluting the possibility to compare the data.
I am pleased to announce that the European Forum on Antisemitism website (www.european-forum-on-antisemitism.org) now provides translations of the definition in more than 20 languages, including German, which should assist in helping establish the definition in Germany as a basis for recording incidents.
I would also like to draw attention to a system recently instituted in France for collecting data on antisemitism at schools. German school officials have alerted us to the fact that many incidents are not reported to either school authorities or justice officials for lack of a definition and an effective monitoring system, as well as insufficient knowledge about Jewish life, history, culture and the Mideast conflict on the part of some teachers.
2) Research projects to better define and counteract manifestations of antisemitism should be identified and commissioned.
Despite important work being done by the Center for Research on Antisemitism at the Technical University and the University of Bielefeld, there is a relative paucity of field research on the subject. A major study on antisemitism would help both governments and non-governmental organizations with counter-strategies.
3) School curricula to improve knowledge of Jewish life and history, as well as of modern Israel, is needed urgently.
The material should take into account that up to a third of today’s pupils is of immigrant background with little to no knowledge of Judaism or even of the Holocaust.
4) Teachers, civil servants, police and justice officials, religious authorities, and journalists among others, need training to heighten sensitivity for manifestations of antisemitism.
Training should be implemented as a regular part of the curriculum in law schools, educational institutes, journalism schools, religious seminaries, police training institutes and other educational forums dealing with issues of antisemitism. In addition, training for those currently in the civil service, in the police force, in the justice system, as well as educators, journalists and religious leaders would help improve awareness and the readiness to counteract antisemitism in all its forms. A lack of knowledge and experience often results in the fact that hate crimes are frequently overlooked and therefore not registered. One possibility would be the implementation in German states of the Law Enforcement Officer Programme on Combating Hate Crime (LEOP), which was created by the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.
5) Programs to combat antisemitism need long-term strategies.
Some model projects have been designed and implemented in past years but few have been continued due to lack of funding. The emphasis of government grants on short-term project work, as well as the degree of control that has been implemented, has made it difficult for smaller and more experimental NGOs in particular to benefit from stable work structures and thereby pursue their work in a consistent manner.
6) The creation of a federal ombudsperson on a parliamentary or governmental level is highly desirable.
This person would improve monitoring, implement counter-strategies, coordinate between various branches of government, and issue a yearly report on incidents, trends and actions undertaken to combat antisemitism.
Thank you for the opportunity to present my experience and suggestions. I am encouraged by this hearing. Despite considerable progress made in recent years addressing the issue of antisemitism, much remains to be done. I am confident the distinguished parliamentarians represented here will find the means to create more enduring mechanisms to address the pernicious issue of antisemitism.
