BERLIN (Reuters) – Thousands of Germans wearing Jewish caps took part in nationwide rallies on Wednesday evening in support of the Jewish community amid concerns about growing anti-Semitism.

 

A man wears a kippa during a demonstration in front of a Jewish synagogue, to denounce an anti-Semitic attack on a young man wearing a kippa in the capital earlier this month, in Berlin, Germany, April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

Jewish groups are trying to harness public outrage about an attack last week on an Israeli Arab who wore the Jewish cap, or kippa, in Berlin as an experiment. He ended up being subjected to verbal abuse by three people and was lashed with a belt by a Syrian Palestinian. A video was posted on the internet.

That attack followed reports of bullying of Jewish children in schools and prompted the head of the Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, to advise Jews not to wear kippas in big cities.

Read more