An attack on a Berlin rabbi reportedly perpetrated by youths of Arab origin has sparked a debate about anti-Semitism in the country that has increased tensions between Germany’s Jewish and Muslim communities. After weekend demonstrations of solidarity with Jews, both groups are calling for increased efforts to combat xenophobia.
They numbered in the hundreds and many wore yarmulkes, the traditional Jewish skull cap. At two different events over the weekend, demonstrators turned out in Berlin to protest against an anti-Semitic crime in the German capital that occurred on Tuesday, when unidentified youths attacked a 53-year-old rabbi in the German capital who had been wearing a yarmulke.
“We are not going to accept that people will be attacked on our streets because they can be visibly recognized as being Jewish,” organizers of a flash mob protest on Saturday that attracted over 100 people wrote on their web page.