Some 40 Jewish groups in Germany call on government to confront anti-Semitism

Nearly 40 Jewish organizations in Germany call on the government to confront anti-Semitism following a series of anti-Jewish attacks in the country.

The open letter, which was signed Monday by such groups as the Jewish Forum for Democracy and Anti-Semitism, calls for Germany to adhere to the International Alliance for Holocaust Remembrance’s definition of anti-Semitism and to take seriously the experiences of attack victims. It also calls for recognition that anti-Semitism is an “an attack on the inviolability of human dignity and on the foundations of the entire liberal democratic community.”

“Anti-Semitism cannot be successfully fought as a mere subcategory of racism,” the statement says. “Anti-Semitism, racism, and Islamophobia cannot be equated.”

The statement, written in German, also says that civil and religious groups that have requested or already receive public funding should only receive the funds if they have publicly distanced themselves from all forms of anti-Semitism, including Muslim organizations.

— JTA