Major German paper: The Kippa belongs to Germany
The der Bild German newspaper has launched a campaign in support of Germany’s Jews and against antisemitism following a statement made by Dr. Felix Klein, the German antisemitism commissioner, that it would be preferable for Jews not wear a kippa, a Jewish head covering, in public in Germany out of fear for their safety.
Kippa Photo: Wikimedia Commons
In response, the Bild printed Kippa cutouts on its front page in its Monday edition.
German journalist Julian Reichelt, editor-in-chief of the digital edition of der Bild, said that “if only one person in our country cannot wear a kippa without endangering himself, the answer can only be that we all wear kippas.”
“The kippa belongs to Germany! That’s why Bild will print tomorrow the kippa to cut out on page 1,” he added.
German journalist Paul Ronzheimer wrote that Klein’s statement was “a dramatic and shameful signal that Germany sends to the world. What do Holocaust survivors think about the state of our country reading such a thing?”
Yuval Rotem, Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that “the Bild’s initiative offers a humble light of hope in raising awareness against antisemitism.
“But it’s not enough! It’s unacceptable that today, Jews cannot walk safely in the streets of Germany or elsewhere! Anti-Semitism must be actively fought against,” he demanded.
Israeli diplomat Yaki Lopez welcomed the gesture while tweeting that “under the headline, The Kippa Belongs to Us, the newspaper will print a cutout of a Kippa on its front page tomorrow. A symbolic and strong message against antisemitism & intolerance!”
The Bild has the highest circulation and is the most-cited daily newspaper in Germany.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said he was “deeply shocked” by Klein’s words.
“Responsibility for the welfare, the freedom and the right to religious belief of every member of the German Jewish community is in the hands of the German government and its law enforcement agencies,” Rivlin stated.
While Israel acknowledges and appreciates the “moral position of the German government, and its commitment to the Jewish community that lives there,” the “fears about the security of German Jews are a capitulation to antisemitism and an admittance that, again, Jews are not safe on German soil,” he charged
“We will never submit, will never lower our gaze and will never react to antisemitism with defeatism – and expect and demand our allies act in the same way,” he concluded.
