Antisemitism on the rise in Germany
The World Jewish Congress has expressed strong concern this week following the release of new figures in Germany indicating a 10 percent increase in antisemitic incidents in the country over the course of the first half of 2018 when compared with the same period in 2017.
Ronald S. Lauder
WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said: “The German government has demonstrated admirable commitment to combating antisemitism, including with the appointment of Ambassador Felix Klein as the first federal government commissioner working on behalf of the Jewish community. Nevertheless, it is clear that concerted efforts are needed across the board to arrest the steady rise in violent incidents and harassment and ensure that German Jews continue to feel secure and valued as all German citizens deserve.”
“The WJC stands ready to assist our community in Germany, as well as all levels of government, to work toward implementing the necessary steps to quell antisemitism across the country,” Lauder said.
Some 349 out of the 401 antisemitic incidents recorded this year were reported as being perpetrated by those with far right-wing tendencies, while Berlin accounted for 80 such incidents.
President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and WJC Vice President Josef Schuster has called for the implementation of an effective, nationwide system of reporting on antisemitism with a suitable threshold to be used when evaluating suspected cases.
