Disturbing images arrive over the weekend from Germany: two photos were circulated on social networks showing Star of David marks on the entrance doors of buildings. Explanations for the photographs claimed that these were Jewish homes.
As part of an intimidation campaign, some people in Berlin have started marking the buildings where Jews live pic.twitter.com/DapVPnIJ6v
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 14, 2023
"I passed by the same door on which they painted a Star of David – it's right on the street next to me, on the way I go to my son's school – and it's a punch in the stomach," Yael S., who has lived in Berlin for eight years, told Israel Hayom. "Ever since they declared Day of Rage, I've debated whether to send the children to frameworks. But when I saw the Star of David, I left them at home. And my children are in completely public frameworks, they speak German, most of our friends are German and not Israeli. We also don't live in a neighborhood where we tell our children not to speak Hebrew, but it has reached us too.
"Pro-Palestinian" rallies are Pro-Hamas rallies
The hate is surging.
Across the world there are many instances of houses belonging to Jews being marked with the Star of David—marking Jews for death—as the Nazi's did.
Stand against #Hamas#Hamas_is_ISIS#StandwithIsreal 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/fNslOihHa6
— Dapper Detective (@Dapper_Det) October 14, 2023
"For the first time, I was afraid to speak Hebrew, in my neighborhood, where I feel at home. The eyes are darting, the feeling that there is no air, that in a moment someone will come and spit on us, and I don't know what else."
Naaman Hirschfeld, a high-tech entrepreneur who has lived in Berlin since 2012, agrees: "The Magen David graffiti in Prenzlauerberg is disgusting and definitely causes a general sense of persecution. There have been attacks on Jews wearing a kippah in the past during operations in Gaza."
Hirschfeld. "There is a sense of hostility, but I refuse to live in fear," photo: courtesy of the subject
"Since October 7, there has been a sense of an earthquake. First of all as Israelis, but also as immigrants here in Berlin. We live very close to the large center of the Arab community in the Neukölln district, 800,<> people. Most of them are from Syria and Lebanon, but there is also a large Palestinian population. Although there were also tense periods in the past, until now there has been successful coexistence. For example, I have never been afraid that my children will speak Hebrew on the street, or identify themselves as Israelis, even in a school with a high percentage of Muslims. But after the massacre there were quite a few who celebrated, and this aroused disgust, anger and especially the feeling that there is no coexistence here. I don't want to generalize, there are many people who didn't react that way, and there were also quite a few Arabs who expressed empathy. For example, a Lebanese-German friend called to ask how I was. Still, there is a sense of hostility. I know quite a few people who feel very exposed and vulnerable. It seeps in. I refuse to live like this and be afraid. This seems to me to be a matter of principle. But I totally understand that."
"In Neukölln they celebrated the massacre, but even in areas like the prestigious Prenzlauerberg there was a case of a woman who spoke Hebrew and was threatened," adds Yael S., "In Friedrichstraße in the Mitte area (central Berlin) a guy who spoke Hebrew got spit on. All Jewish schools remained closed. In one place, they painted a swastika next to the name of a Jewish family on an intercom. In some places, schools close to the Jewish ones also remained closed. Israeli restaurants remain closed, including Canaan, which is owned by Jewish-Palestinians. An event that was intended for Israelis and was planned for tomorrow has been canceled."
On Friday, hundreds of people gathered near the Frankloffer Synagogue in Kreuzberg to show solidarity with Israel, but also to protect it in case of a potential attack. A day earlier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz banned activities affiliated with Hamas as well as Samidoun, which is affiliated with the PFLP.
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