WATCH: Israeli film crew reveals anti-Semitic hate at German neo-Nazi festival
Reporters witness far-right activists performing Nazi salutes and selling anti-Semitic material in shocking two-part documentary
A new TV documentary from an Israeli team filming at a neo-Nazi rock festival in Germany has shown how anti-Semitic views remain prevalent on the German right.
The two-part video exploration of the annual gathering in Thüringen is based on German-language interviews conducted by Antonia Yamin, Europe correspondent for KAN Israel. Released last month, they have now been translated with subtitles.
Yamin was given exclusive access to the festival and its organisers, and found most were reluctant to answer questions about the Holocaust, owing to German laws around Holocaust denial.
Despite the heavy police presence, however, she interviewed festival-goers who told her that those reading a Jewish newspaper in Germany “can always read what will happen in two weeks, because Jews always have more information than others… Press organs, it’s very interesting”.
Later, she was told “they take out the important paragraphs” of the Talmud, “for example that it is permissible to deceive and kill someone who is not Jewish”.
The event hit international headlines last year after video emerged of 2,000 neo-Nazis at the festival giving the Nazi salute and shouting ‘Heil.’ This year, the numerical reference to ‘Heil Hitler’ – 88 – is seen in abundance.
Some participants are seen wearing T-shirts expressing solidarity with jailed Holocaust deniers while others dismiss focus on the impact of refugees and those of different nationalities now living on German soil.
The far-right in Germany, which the documentary shows as honouring Nazi generals such as Rommel, has been buoyed by the recent electoral success of the AfD, an anti-immigrant party whose co-founder last year criticised the Holocaust memorial in Berlin, saying Germans needed to radically rethink how they commemorate the past.
Watch: ‘ “The Jews are hiding the truth”: what the neo Nazis in Germany think’:
Watch: “Holocaust Studies? unnecessary”: Interview with a neo-Nazi leader:
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.
