A new study has found that more than one-in-four Germans have anti-semitic beliefs, claiming that antisemitism is on the rise amongst the nation’s ‘elites’.
German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on Wednesday statistics from a study commissioned by the World Jewish Congress (WJC). The study found that 27 per cent of all Germans held antisemitic beliefs.
Nearly half claimed that Jews are more loyal to the state of Israel than to Germany, and 41 per cent felt that Jews talked about the Holocaust “too much”.
A rising trend of antisemitism was seen amongst college-educated German ‘elites’ with an income of 100,000 euros or more per year.
The study stated that 18 per cent ‘elites’ held antisemitic beliefs, with 28 per cent feeling that Jews have too much control over the economy, and 26 per cent believing that they have too much power in shaping world politics.
Cologne Rabbi Jechiel Brukner, speaking to Deutsche Welle said: “These are cliches, stereotypes, envy, but there is also some truth to it. Jews are successful. What’s the problem with that? Why are Germans not envious that, as a percentage of the population, Jews have many more Nobel Prize winners? Why doesn’t that bother anyone? What does it always concern the aspect of ‘money’? Judaism places an emphasis on intellectual intelligence and that has meant that Jews are often very successful. They also work hard, but why does someone not like them for that?”
President of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung said the results of the study show that there is a crisis of antisemitism in Germany.
“We saw what happened when ordinary people looked away or kept silent. It is time for all German society to take a stand and fight antisemitism head-on” Lauder said.
The study was conducted two months prior to the deadly shooting outside a synagogue in the German city of Halle. The shooter, who is believed to have neo-Nazi sympathies, shot and killed two people on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.
Two days after the Yom Kippur attack, a Syrian migrant stormed a synagogue in Berlin with a knife shouting “Fuck Israel” and “Allah hu Akbar!”
Security guards pepper-sprayed the man before he was able to carry out any violence. He was later arrested by police — he released from custody after just one day.
In 2018 there were at least 1,000 antisemitic attacks carried out in Berlin alone.
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