The German government commissioner on anti-Semitism is urging Jews in the country to avoid wearing yarmulkas, or kippot in public venues.
“I cannot advise Jews to wear the kippah everywhere all the time in Germany,” Felix Klein said Saturday in an interview carried by the Funke media group, and quoted by DW. Klein said he had “changed his mind (on the subject) compared with what it was previously.”
The official added,“The lifting of inhibitions and the uncouthness which is on the rise in society” are factors in the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany, again.
“The internet and social media have largely contributed to this — but so have constant attacks against our culture of remembrance,” Klein said.
“There is much insecurity among police and government officials in dealing with anti-Semitism. Many officials do not know what is allowed and what is not,” he said. “There is a clear definition of anti-Semitism, and it has to be taught in police schools. Likewise, it should be part of the education of teachers and lawyers.”
But Claudi Vanoni, a top legal expert on anti-Semitism in Berlin, told the AFP news agency several weeks ago that anti-Semitism has “always been here.” Recently, however, Vanoni said “it has again become louder, more aggressive and flagrant.”