Jews in Germany: The aftermath of the Hamas terror attacks

Yes, says Doron Rubin, he still takes the subway in Berlin — or rather, he's using it again. The 41-year-old father-of-three avoided doing so in the days immediately after October 7.

Since that day, when the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted around 240 more, he says everything has changed in his daily life and his attitude toward it.

"Insecurity and uncertainty are now our constant companions. There are no periods of calm."  

Rubin is Jewish. Born in Germany, he is a member of the Jewish congregation Kahal Adass Jisroel (KAJ), based in Berlin's Brunnenstrasse. The KAJ received unwelcome national attention in October when, despite the police guards outside, unknown assailants threw incendiary devices at its synagogue and community center.

'Everything is different'

Traditionally, some Jewish men wear a flat, round head covering called a yarmulke, or kippah, a symbol of their reverence for God. Many Jews also affix a mezuzah, a parchment scroll with handwritten texts in a case, to their doorposts.

Rubin told DW that in the past few weeks, many members of the community had found stars of David sprayed on the walls of their houses, and some had consequently moved the mezuzah to inside the door. "Everything is different," he said.

Pasha Lubarsky, a 44-year-old mechanical engineer and the honorary chair of the KAJ community, agreed. To begin with, he said, people were in shock. He said people often asked themselves whether Germany was right for them in such situations. "But we won't be intimidated. Even if we're scared, we still have to take action."

Tight security

In the weeks since October 7, there has been tight security in Germany around protests against Israel's ongoing military offensive in Gaza. Launched in response to the Hamas terror attacks, the bombardment and fighting has now killed almost 20,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

The venue for Germany's Jewish Community Day (Gemeindetag), a hotel in the west of Berlin, was also heavily protected. Police were visible everywhere, even in the corridors and walkways. Rubin and Lubarsky were among around 1,400 Jews from all over Germany who gathered at the four-day congress for discussions, training, exchange, and celebration.

Just hours before it began, on December 14, security services announced the arrest of suspected Hamas supporters in Berlin and Rotterdam, who are believed to have been planning attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe. The European Union and its member states, as well as numerous other countries, have long regarded Hamas as a terrorist organization, but Germany only banned pro-Hamas activity at the beginning of November.

Efforts to combat antisemitism in ruins?

At the Community Day gathering, Josef Schuster, the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, spoke repeatedly of the anti-Israel and antisemitic demonstrations in German cities, which involved many young migrants. There was hatred of Jews before October 7, said Schuster, "but the quality and the threat are different now."

The phrase "everything is different" recurs again and again. Dozens of Jewish parents reported that their children had experienced antisemitic incidents. All the rabbis there could confirm the observation of Jasmin Andriani from the liberal Jewish community in Göttingen: many community members now prefer to participate in religious services online instead of going to synagogue.

"October 7 is a major watershed in every respect — for our educational work, as well," says Doron Kiesel. As the director of the Central Council's education department, Kiesel is also responsible for establishing the Jewish Academy in Frankfurt am Main.

He has spent many years trying to combat antisemitism through teaching and raising awareness of the issue, only to find that his work has not been understood. It is hard, he says, "to be confronted with the ruins of your own work."

Political guests — and criticism

Politicians invited to the Community Day usually present prepared speeches. Both sides praise each other and commend their respective work, and everyone is happy. In 2023, however, things weren't quite as straightforward. This was apparent right from the start when German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier opened the proceedings. There was little applause for him as he entered the room.

"We are all profoundly affected by the terrible events in Israel," Steinmeier said. He spoke of Israel as a state "that is defending itself and must defend itself." A few days earlier, on a visit there, Steinmeier had visited a kibbutz near the Gaza Strip that was destroyed in the Hamas attack. However, when he mentioned the "dreadful destruction in Gaza" and the "many thousands dead" at the Community Day, there was silence in the hall.

The attendees made their feelings even clearer during the speech by the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. She spoke of attending a Hanukkah celebration in Dubai and commented that there, too, Jews were afraid. However, when she went on to say that Israel's security was Germany's reason of state, there were several interruptions from the audience, expressing criticism and outrage that Germany had abstained from votes on UN resolutions about Israel's war against Hamas.

Baerbock tried to explain and stressed the necessity of dialog: "Israel will only be able to live in safety when Palestinians can eventually live free of terrorism. Equally, Palestinians will only be able to live in safety when Israel lives in safety." The atmosphere in the room remained frosty.

Germany caught between two stools

With Baerbock, Central Council president Schuster criticized the government's course diplomatically. Before the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, made his appearance, Schuster spoke more plainly. He invoked the formula German politicians have used repeatedly since October 7. In the country of "Never again is now," Schuster said in his address to Scholz, "'Never again" is sometimes, in fact, more like 'eventually.'"

Of course, people were allowed clearly to criticize Israel's government and the behavior of militant settlers there, Schuster stressed. He himself did so during the Community Day, as did other representatives. However, he said he felt there was a lack of unequivocal solidarity with Israelis concerning the war.

In the scripted part of his speech, Chancellor Scholz invoked Germany's "open society" and called for empathy and solidarity with Jews — but barely mentioned Israel. Toward the end, however, as if recalling Schuster's quiet anger, he spontaneously added five sentences, saying that "of course" Germany would always support Israel "when Israel's right to defend itself is called into question in public debate. We will not allow that. Everyone can rely on Germany."

Did the politicians convince participants?

Pasha Lubarsky agrees with Josef Schuster. If Germany is constantly invoking "Never again," he says, it has to act accordingly. He thanked the Berlin police for their cooperation but remains concerned by the scale and extent of the demonstrations taking place on German streets.

Doron Rubin has also heard all the expressions of solidarity and invocations along the lines of "Never again" and is not convinced. "Politics is trying to reinforce itself a bit," he said. "Perhaps they're also trying to conceal a degree of powerlessness. What can be done to counter antisemitism on the street?"

Nonetheless, Rubin and Lubarsky say they will continue to wear the yarmulke in public, and they will keep attending synagogue in person.

This article has been translated from German.