Germany / 04-09-2012
Orthodox Jewish children subjected to antisemitic taunts outside Berlin school
Charlottenburg, Germany - On Monday morning, 13 children in grades 7, 8, and 9 who attend the Chabad School in Berlin- Charlottenburg were subjected to antisemitic taunts such as “Are you Jewish?” and were photographed by a group of several unidentified “Southern” youths believed to be Muslims. One of the perpetrators also spat on the ground in front of the students, but ran away when a teacher intervened. The school was founded in 2005.
In response to the incident, Dieter Graumann, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany said, “The recent antisemitic incident in Berlin is very serious and cause for concern. Hostility towards Jews in Germany should not become a habit. The fact that “only” words were used as weapons does not mean that we can minimize these incidents.” He noted that this was not an isolated incident and added that society is responsible to respond to such incidents by sending a very clear message about the importance of fighting antisemitism among young people.
Gideon Joffe, head of the Berlin Jewish community, said, “It is about time that Muslim associations and organizations counter the Islamist antisemitism seriously and sustainably,” and remarked that it is in the interest of the entire German society to address antisemitism, recalling that history has taught that the Jews are always the first, but never the only victims.
Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, who is affiliated with the school, was shocked by the incident. “Even during the violent attack on Rabbi Daniel Alter, his little daughter was threatened. Again children are the target of antisemitism. This is unacceptable,” Teichtal said. He called on the Berlin authorities to do everything in their power to capture the perpetrators and to ensure Jewish safety in the city.
