By Toby Axelrod, JTA— Germany is easing immigration requirements for Jewish refugees from Ukraine, the country’s main Jewish umbrella group announced today. In a deal worked out with the federal government, refugees who have papers proving their Jewish roots will have an expedited path to German citizenship. Jewish leaders welcomed the news even as they…
By Orit Arfa, Jewish News Syndicate— Germany’s “traffic light” government, led by new Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), was sworn in on Wednesday under the banner “dare to make progress.” Jewish leaders, activists and analysts, however, fear that the coalition will make less progress in strengthening Israel-German ties. The 177-page coalition…
By Shoshana Bryen, Jewish Policy Center— The German government has pulled the plug on Hezbollah, labeling it a terrorist organization – its political “wing” as well as its military “wing” – and banning its activity on German soil; associated organizations will also be outlawed. What took so long? Surely there was no benefit to Germany…
By AFP— Movement and travel restrictions in place to contain the coronavirus pandemic have forced this week’s Holocaust Remembrance Day – Yom HaShoah in Hebrew – to be exclusively digital for the first time. In a normal year, symbolic events are organized at various locations, notably with survivors at the sites in Europe where the…
By Toby Axelrod, JTA— It is dangerous to identify publicly as Jewish in Germany, including wearing a kippah, Germany’s commissioner on anti-Semitism said. In a wide-ranging interview, Felix Klein told the Berliner Morgenpost on May 24 that he could not recommend that Jews wear a kippah everywhere and any time in Germany. He also said…
By Times of Israel—- A Polish lawmaker said Friday that a committee examining potential German reparations to Poland hoped to complete its report by September 1, the 80th anniversary of the Nazi invasion, and would likely demand up to $850 billion for the damage inflicted during World War II. Arkadiusz Mularczyk, who is leading a…
By Julia Schmidt, Aish— “You know it is not always wise to tell people that you are Jewish,” my son’s Hebrew school teacher told me. We belonged to a synagogue in Bonn, Germany. “Sometimes it can be dangerous and it is better to keep quiet.” I cringed when I heard him say this, something he…
By Israel Hayom— A truck plowed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin on Monday evening, killing 12 people and injuring 50 others in what Germany’s interior minister said looked like a terrorist attack. Local media reported Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, but security sources said those claims were still being…
By ICEJ News— Several incidents of anti-Semitism have been reported around the world this week, leading to a growing sense of alarm in Israel. The incidents, in the UK, South Africa, and several countries in Europe, has prom calls for preparations to be made for a large influx of new immigrants. Reports surfaced on Wednesday…
By Benjamin Weinthal, Jpost— The spokesman for Hamburg’s Jewish community, Daniel Killy, said deteriorating security in Germany has led to a highly dangerous situation for Jews. “No, we are no longer safe here,” Killy told the news outlet tagesschau.de on Tuesday. He said the disintegration of state power, excesses of the extreme right-wing, the loss…