For about two weeks, Germany has been dealing with the antisemitic incident that singer Gil Ofarim experienced, according to him, at a hotel in Leipzig. In a video he uploaded to Instagram, which has so far received about 3.7 million views, the son of the late Israeli singer Avi Ofarim claimed that the receptionist demanded that he remove a necklace with a Star of David pendant from his neck as a condition of receiving a room. "Really?" He asked in the video in tears, "This is the Germany of 2021."
The reactions were quick to arrive, in the form of sweeping condemnation not only of the receptionist but also of the other people who were present at the class and did not defend Ofarim. A demonstration of mass solidarity with the singer was organized in front of the hotel, and the receptionist, who was suspended from his job, filed a complaint with the police for defamation.
This week, German newspapers published photos from security cameras at the hotel, raising doubts about the credibility of Ofarim's version, since it did not appear in them that he did indeed carry a necklace with a Star of David.
In addition, the local police are still not convinced that the singer's claims are true.
Ofarim explained that it did not matter at all whether he actually carried the necklace or not, because he claimed that she was identified with him and therefore he was told to take it off.
He later said, in light of the huge public outrage about him that was expressed mainly on social media, that he did not lie.
Protest against the hotel in Leipzig, this month // Photo: EP,
It is difficult to imagine what could cause a popular artist like Ofarim to fabricate an antisemitic incident, if he did. It is easier to assume that if such an incident had occurred to a non-famous Jew, it would not have come to the public's attention at all. And antisemitic incidents in Germany have become almost routine: in 2020, there was a record number of reported antisemitic offenses - 2,351 offenses, 16 percent more than in 2019, of which 57 were violent attacks. These are an average of six antisemitic offenses per day per year, and these are just the offenses reported to authorities.
It is estimated that the number of unreported offenses is much larger.
In the second quarter of 2021 alone, 558 such antisemitic incidents were recorded, of which 16 were violent.
Although the authorities attribute most of the offenses to the extreme right, most of the threat to Jews in Germany comes from Arab and Muslim immigrant communities.
Every conflict in the Middle East in which Israel is involved has consistently raised the bar for anti-Semitism in Germany, with a sharp rise in crime and aggression since the "refugee crisis" in 2015.
The corona crisis has also contributed to the rise of anti-Semitism, especially on social media.
Anti-Semitism has become taboo
Against the background of the rise of anti-Semitism in his country, the German historian, Professor Peter Longrich - one of the world's leading experts in the study of Holocaust and German anti-Semitism - is publishing a book that raises a new explanation for the phenomenon. In "Anti-Semitism, German History - From Education to the Present," Longrich explores the roots of modern anti-Semitism in his country. He concludes that it developed as part of the German search for a common national identity in the 19th century, with the formation of the German national movement, in response to Napoleon's conquests and the emancipation movement of Jews brought with him by the French emperor and commander to the German territories.
Longrich (66) identifies at that time among German society a principled struggle - between the liberal current, which fought for emancipation of the Jews as a symbol of overcoming Christian conservatism; And currents in the German national movement that opposed the granting of equal rights to Jews because of "their belonging to another culture." As the Jewish bourgeoisie in Germany tried to adapt to its non-Jewish environment, at the cost of abandoning tradition and moving away from it, the opposition of anti-Semites to the integration of Jews into society increased. The antisemitic extremism, which manifested itself in the Nazi regime, was not, in Longrich's estimation, a result of the crises of German society following the defeat in World War I - but stemmed from the very search for a new definition of German national identity after the fall of the German Empire.
Longrich was one of the members of the expert committee that submitted a comprehensive and serious report to the Bundestag in 2012 on the extent of anti-Semitism in Germany with recommendations for action, only some of which have been implemented to date. In an interview with "Israel Hashavua", he sounds very critical of the fight against anti-Semitism in his country, and identifies a large gap between the declaratory political commitment to action and what is happening on the ground.
How can the new wave of anti-Semitism in Germany be explained, after decades of claiming that the phenomenon has disappeared and that Germany has learned its lessons from history?
"These claims that there is no anti-Semitism in Germany are completely untrue. There were widespread antisemitic attitudes in Germany, even after the Holocaust. However, the phenomenon has become taboo in the public aspect. There's the famous saying of former Chancellor Helmut Kohl from the early 1980s. When presented with a survey that clearly showed a high level of anti-Semitism in Germany, he stated: 'The vast majority of our population is immune to anti-Semitism'. This was a very common position. In my opinion, anti-Semitism does not return or intensify today, but has always been here. She just looks better today and there seem to be more and more people who are willing to identify with her in public. "
Do you see a difference between old and new anti-Semitism?
"No. At its core is always the same anti-Semitism. Of course in addition to our 'national anti-Semitism' there is also hostility towards Jews and especially towards Israel on the part of immigrants, who come not only from the Muslim world but also from Eastern Europe. The 'arguments' that come from this side are very broadly consistent with what we know from our history.
"These feelings of hostility also partly emanated from Europe to the Arab world during the 20th century. Experts in this field say that this form of anti-Semitism can only be understood when one knows that between the 1930s and 1950s these ideas were transmitted to the Arab world by the Nazis, mainly through their connection to the Mufti of Jerusalem (Haj Amin al-Husseini). This is not an explanation for the whole phenomenon, but it is an important factor. "
You link in your book German anti-Semitism to the search for a national identity. why?
"For me this is the key question: when I want to explain why a minority has been repeatedly excluded and discriminated against, I must examine the majority who do so and the motivation behind this approach. I show in my book, over a long period of more than two hundred years, that Germany has a part A particular part of the population that tries - especially in the fields of language, culture, common origin and history - to establish a national identity, but without success. "In other words: we do not know exactly what our national identity is, but we know who we do not want to be - that is, Jews. We reject everything that has to do with Judaism. This is the basic position, which can be found even today."
Won an echo.
Ofarim // Photo: GettyImages,
Is this a phenomenon unique to Germany?
"I am an expert on German history, but I think this phenomenon can also be found in many European countries. For example, Poland, Hungary, Lithuania and others. The polarization and so on of the societies in those countries have always been linked to the rejection of other ethnic groups
.
This has always been the reason for the vulnerability of the Jewish minority.
Antisemites do not work with logical arguments but with arguments that contradict themselves and can be easily refuted.
That fact must be taken into account. "
Who is the killer and who is the victim
How, then, can one explain the contradiction between the development of European national movements, which pushed Jews out of content with the slogan "Jews to Palestine", and the widespread rejection today among anti-Semites of the Jewish national movement, around the slogan "Jews left Palestine"?
"This is part of the contradictory and irrational attitudes towards the Jews. When the Jews tried to adapt to the non-Jewish local culture - they were seen as invaders who wanted to dismantle German national life. And when they establish their own state - they seem to be given a special danger. It's amazing to see that in the German media and in the German public, when talking about human rights violations and so on - Israel attracts so much attention, unlike China or Iran for example.
"Scientists in the social sciences estimate that behind this attention one can still find an attempt by a German national identity, bearing the burden of the Holocaust and the Third Reich, to break free from this oppressive past. This effort is based on opening a counter-account that says: Opinion polls show that more than 40 percent of Germans agree with the statement, "When I see Israeli policy toward the Palestinians, I can understand why Jews are hated." Problems with the Jews. "
Prof. Longrich // Photo: PR,
Because in their view, in the end the Jews are always the criminals - in the past against the Germans, today against the Palestinians.
"Yes, there is talk of reversing the roles of killer and victim. This terminology originated in the 1950s and may be problematic to some extent today. But there is still such psychological behavior. "This potential for hostility among the German population. 25% -20% of Germans, who have anti-Semitic views on tents, constitute a potential that extremists can influence, and this is a significant danger to German democracy as well."
An antisemitic alternative
"Despite this danger, when looking at the extent of anti-Semitism in Germany as a whole, one gets the impression that the steps to combat the phenomenon - worthy of appreciation - belong more to the department of decoration and symbols, and in the medium and long term have no great impact. "We should not just appoint extras to fight on behalf of the authorities, but for example develop an educational program for all teachers in Germany, through which they can learn how to deal with the phenomenon in which students with an immigrant background or without an immigrant background do not want to hear about anti-Semitism and the Holocaust."
In Germany, the focus is on the anti-Semitism of the extreme right and there is little talk of the anti-Semitism of the extreme left. Communist East Germany, however, spread anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism for 40 years. How strong is the anti-Semitism of the left in Germany today?
"There is, of course, real left-wing anti-Semitism, from leftists in West Germany and East Germany. There were Jewish communities in East Germany, but within the 'anti-fascist' regime there the Jews did not play a special role as a Nazi persecuted group, and extreme East German hostility towards Israel Accompanied by anti-Semitism and hostile images of Jews. It must be said, however, that the left has always confronted this phenomenon and there are discussions about it. Among the far right - and this is the main difference - there is no such confrontation. I think it would be a mistake to present the two "Quite secondary, and the left is struggling with it. But, it is clear that this phenomenon exists and can already be found in the writings of Karl Marx."
Is this not the reason why the populist-national right-wing party, the Alternative for Germany, is so strongly electoral in East Germany, especially if anti-Semitism is linked to a German national identity?
"One can think so. Unequivocal statements on the matter are difficult, since the 'alternative' is officially friendly to Israel and Jews. There is also a small group of 'Jews in the alternative to Germany'. But it is known that party supporters have quite strong anti-Semitic views and some With extreme right-wing views, this suggests that the party is secretly cultivating antisemitic prejudices. Intentionally send clear messages to the party's supporters. "