Berlin Archbishop Heiner Koch described the situation faced by Jewish residents in the capital as profoundly worrying and called it a “great scandal.” According to his comments to the “Rheinische Post”, he noted the distress that Jews no longer feel safe enough to speak openly on the subway or wear traditional head coverings in public.
The Archbishop expressed particular concern over the fact that some Jewish individuals are considering moving to or returning to Israel because they perceive it as a safer environment for them. While acknowledging the efforts of security forces, Koch expressed the fear that these measures alone cannot shift the prevailing atmosphere. He stated that the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel and its subsequent consequences have fundamentally altered the situation.
Koch strongly urged that antisemitism, which manifests itself in various forms, must never be overlooked. The theologian went on to unequivocally condemn hatred against Jewish people, declaring that “antisemitism is a sin,” in alignment with Bishop Stäblein for the Evangelical Church, while stating to all others, “antisemitism is a crime.”
Addressing the ongoing significance of the 1938 November pogroms, Koch reminded that November 9th remains a crucially important date in the calendar, marked by numerous commemorative events. However, he emphatically stressed that society must pay more attention to current worrying developments not only within Berlin, but also without minimizing or relativizing the crimes committed during the National Socialist era.
