Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., April 28, 2008 Nisan 23, 5768 | | Israel Time: 15:28 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 21:30 17/01/2008
Berlin Mayor, Jewish Council slam attack on Jewish teens
By News Agencies
Tags: German Jewry, anti-Semitism 

The mayor of Berlin and the head of Germany's Jewish Council on Thursday denounced an attack on five Jewish teenagers by a group of punks.

The teenagers, aged between 15 and 17, were on Wednesday subjected to anti-Semitic abuse by four punks near the Juedische Oberschule, the Berlin school they attend, police said.

One victim was forced to flee into a nearby bakery after the punks set their dog on the group, before witnesses alerted the authorities. The four punks were taken into custody and the dog was taken to an animal home.
Advertisement

"This obviously anti-semitic attack ... cannot be tolerated," Mayor Klaus Wowereit said.

"Considering our history, we are happy that Jewish life is again flowering in our midst," he added. "It's all the more important to stand up to any form of anti-semitism, xenophobia and right-wing extremism."

Charlotte Knobloch, president of the German Jewish Council, said the attack was "disgusting".

"It's known that some members of the punk scene have a high potential for anti-semitic violence that is fed by anti-Israeli sentiment but attacking children gives the case an especially reprehensible character," she added.

Two of the alleged perpetrators of the attack, aged 27 and 31, were to appear before a magistrates court Thursday.

The Jewish community in Germany is the fastest-growing in the world, according to the World Jewish Congress, mostly because of immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Germany's Central Council of Jews says the Jewish community has some 110,000 registered members. Some 560,000 Jews lived in Germany before the Holocaust.

Still, Frankfurt-based Holocaust scholar Gottfried Cosler said recently that German youth have begun use the word "Jew" as a common curse in daily discourse.

A new study by a political education center has also found that German schools are failing in educating students about the Holocaust.

Susan Orban, a historian at Yad Vashem, says that the Holocaust should be taught using methods that have proved successful in the past.

"Today's kids live in different times than that of Anne Frank," Orban said. In order to bridge the generational gap, she submits a different approach, "for example, asking them to imagine that they have to abruptly leave their homes and start a new life elsewhere."

Such a method, according to Orban, would speak more directly to the children's hearts and minds than descriptions of the horrors of the concentration camp.

Sigel expressed similar sentiments, adding that the children of immigrants have shown particular interest to the victims of Nazism given that many of them suffered from racial persecution, religious intolerance, and even genocide in their native lands.


Related articles:
  • German Jews enraged as group likens smoking ban to Nazi rule
  • Holocaust scholar: 'Jew' has become curse word among German youth
  • The 'New Anti-Semitism'
  • Report: Neo-Nazi crime rises in Germany
  • Police: Vandals attack Berlin 'Platform 17' Holocaust memorial
  • American Zionist group slams U.S. gov't on campus anti-Semitism
  • Polish radio seeks to lose anti-Jewish image
  • New Jewish community and education center inaugurated in Berlin

    More Jewish World news and features
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Survivors and pioneers
    Yad Vashem exhibit shows how Holocaust survivors helped shape Israel's identity
    Researching bacon
    Lahav's pig breeding gained widespread notoriety because of its legal loophole.
      1.   When hens come home to roost 11:30  |  Star of David 17/01/08
      2.   The name of the game 12:05  |  Shoshana Thomasson 17/01/08
      3.   YOU FORGOT TO EMNTION ATTACKERS `WERE` ARABS OR MUSLIMS 12:15  |  JACKAL 17/01/08
      4.   anti Jewish attack 12:20  |  sweis Melbourne 17/01/08
      5.   #1 Fortunately... 12:23  |  Edith 17/01/08
      6.   JACKAL 12:47  |  Phil 17/01/08
      7.   The Right Choice 12:49  |  Clickfool 17/01/08
      8.   Thank you Edith! 13:10  |  Palestinian Brit 17/01/08
      9.   In Aliya, there is protection, dignity & devine blessing 13:15  |  Daniel 17/01/08
      10.   Clicky-What U say applies to UK-get out of UK while U can 13:24  |  Alan 17/01/08
      11.   Pets 13:29  |  Cheops 17/01/08
      12.   Whatever the nature of this incident was, there`s a wild gap... 13:44  |  zmogus 17/01/08
      13.   From your mouth to God`s ears right clickfool? 13:53  |  Matt 17/01/08
      14.   # 2 Forget the martial arts 14:35  |  Petra 17/01/08
      15.   jackal / the perps were young punks 14:35  |  T.A. 17/01/08
      16.   For edith 14:36  |  Star of David 17/01/08
      17.   560,000 14:56  |  Dav 17/01/08
      18.   #3 Jackal - If you say the attackers were Muslims 15:07  |  Yonatan 17/01/08
      19.   200 000 Jews immigrants in Germany 15:15  |  Dav 17/01/08
      20.   Jews in Germany 15:15  |  Yonatan 17/01/08
      21.   A happy day for international leftists 15:22  |  Mike 17/01/08
      22.   Dear star of David 15:36  |  Edith 17/01/08
      23.   clicking fool 15:37  |  sweis Melbourne 17/01/08
      24.   # 11 re: Pets 15:38  |  Petra 17/01/08
      25.   #10 Alan: Clicky feels at home in the midst of all that hostility 15:40  |  anti-Clickfool 17/01/08
      26.   attacks in Germany 15:43  |  SP 17/01/08
      27.   Anti Muslimism and anti Semitism 15:52  |  db 17/01/08
      28.   #27 DB 16:26  |  Edith 17/01/08
      29.   Well, there will always be fools 16:31  |  Bob 17/01/08
      30.   Making sensations 16:32  |  angel 17/01/08
      31.   Russian Jews who emigrate to Germany 16:39  |  Boris 17/01/08
      32.   What a surprise! 16:41  |  akiva (zionist) 17/01/08
      33.   Don`t forget most of the time... 17:01  |  Edith 17/01/08
      34.   anti-Clickfool@#25 17:04  |  akiva (zionist) 17/01/08
      35.   conflicts and emotions I 17:37  |  Bob 17/01/08
      36.   conflicts and emotions III 17:40  |  Bob 17/01/08
      37.   i am very sorry for those kids 18:25  |  muslim 17/01/08
      38.   All of us must stand against this crime 18:39  |  Abu Yusuf 17/01/08
      39.   Adult "men" attack Teenage Girls 19:03  |  Gina 17/01/08
      40.   Wrong, muslim 19:29  |  Dav 17/01/08
      41.   #3 Jakal; It does not matter what religion they observed. 21:42  |  . 17/01/08
      42.   How did the attackers know the victims were Jewish? 21:44  |  jpudentain 17/01/08
      43.   These were blue eyed Germans 21:45  |  Jerry 17/01/08
      44.   lets see .....What if all Jews come back to Israel 21:52  |  George Hadad 17/01/08
      45.   #37 Muslim; You make a point I must agree with you 22:05  |  Max Zinger.P.Chimist 17/01/08
      46.   CLICKFOOL 22:12  |  les 17/01/08
      47.   to Shoshana #2 22:16  |  Barry 17/01/08
      48.   Star of David : You ananlysus applies to Israel too! 22:17  |  MAN 17/01/08
      49.   Jews and Arabs taking their fight to the world 22:18  |  Christian 17/01/08
      50.   To Petra #14 22:19  |  Barry 17/01/08
      51.   Muslim: Yes Hitler was a Catholic and Mohammed a Muslim 22:19  |  Both 17/01/08
      52.   Artificial Jewish life in Germany 22:22  |  Jonathan S 17/01/08
      53.   # 37 muslim...skin heads hate everyone 22:27  |  Lynn 17/01/08
      54.   Just "punks"? How disappointing. 22:36  |  Morris Valentine 17/01/08
      55.   Just take the German children 22:56  |  Kiwi girl 17/01/08
      56.   DAV: ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID???? 23:40  |  Brant 17/01/08
      57.   #43 Kiwi Girl: just that there are nothing but Arabs in Gaza! 23:41  |  AliciaYasmeen 17/01/08
      58.   Berlin is special 00:47  |  Fritz T. 18/01/08
      59.   "Right Wing Punks"? 01:54  |  Efox 18/01/08
      60.   re: Christian 01:56  |  Efox 18/01/08
      61.   re: Both 01:57  |  Efox 18/01/08
      62.   Kiwi girl NZ 02:31  |  Nechama 18/01/08
      63.   Edith`s Posts 03:01  |  DJ 18/01/08
      64.   It`s Berlin, what do you expect? 07:10  |  Jason 18/01/08
      65.   560,000 Jews lived in Germany before the holocaust 07:49  |  nobodysacred 18/01/08
      66.   #63 DB, In case you might return 14:40  |  Edith 18/01/08
      67.   At least it shuts up those who deny need of Jewish state 21:33  |  Alain 18/01/08
      68.   db 27 22:41  |  realism 18/01/08
      69.   from a german 23:03  |  Andreas 18/01/08
      70.   To Morris Valentine 01:10  |  Andreas 19/01/08
      71.   To Morris Valentine 2 01:11  |  Andreas 19/01/08