German paper prints cut-out kippah in solidarity with Jews over antisemitism
BILD urges readers to wear head covering in solidarity with the country's Jewish community
Germany’s most-read tabloid, BILD, has printed a cut-out kippah for readers to wear in solidarity with their Jewish neighbours.
The publication follows controversial comments by Felix Klein, Germany’s commissioner on antisemitism, that he could not recommend that Jews wear kippahs in public at any time and place in Germany.
Klein told the Berlin Morgenpost on Friday that his concerns had grown amid a 20 percent rise in reported antisemitic crimes last year, which he blamed on increased “societal disinhibition and brutalisation.”
Klein later told BILD that he wanted his comment to “shake up the situation and make it clear to the public that we have to act before it is too late.”
Josef Schuster, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, told BILD: “It has long been so, that Jews in some large cities are potentially exposed to danger if they are recognised as Jews.”
Meanwhile, many Jewish leaders blasted Klein’s comment as a suggestion that Jews hide their identity in public. And BILD’s response echoed their concerns.
Under the headline “Show solidarity with your Jewish neighbours: Make the BILD-Kippah,” BILD commentator Julian Roepke said “If even only one person here can’t safely wear a kippah, then the answer can only be, we’re all going to wear a kippah.”
The item, a blue and white, Star-of-David-studded circle, comes with a religious explanation and instructions on how to cut it out and paste it together, ending with: “Place the kippah on the back of your head and attach it to your hair with a hair clip. Done.”
Meanwhile, Berlin Jewish community council member Mike Samuel Delberg, 29, announced on Facebook that he was planning to wear a kippah in public as of Sunday, even though he is not Orthodox and sometimes enjoys going out to party after attending Sabbath services.
Chairman of The Jewish Agency Isaac Herzog said: “It is completely unacceptable, 74 years after the end of World War II, that Jews in Germany can’t wear a kippah (skullcap) without fearing for their lives. Mr. Klein’s statement, unfortunately, is in complete sync with what I have been saying recently – that Jews are once again unsafe in the streets of Europe. It’s a fact. I call on all European governments, and especially the German government, to take every measure necessary to ensure the safety of the Jewish community in their nation.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
