‘Never again is now’: German companies condemn Hamas terror, stand with Israel
In a full-page Sunday newspaper add, more than 100 German companies, including SAP, VW, Siemens take a stand for Israel and against antisemitism, express historical responsibility
Sharon Wrobel is a tech reporter for The Times of Israel.
More than 100 leading German corporations have joined together to show their support for Israel and their opposition to antisemitism, while condemning the Hamas terror group’s murderous October 7 onslaught.
In a full-page ad published in major Sunday newspapers in Germany with the headline “Never again is now,” the 106 undersigned companies, representing the bulk of the country’s economy employing millions of workers, denounced antisemitism and Jew hatred.
“We all condemn Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel and we see with horror the suffering of civilians in Israel and Gaza,” the ad read. “As German companies, we stand against all forms of hatred and antisemitism.”
They also emphasized that they are aware and committed to Germany’s “historical responsibility.”
“We therefore ask everyone to join us and show solidarity and stand by our fellow Jewish citizens in our companies and in our country,” the ad continued. “There is no place for hatred of Jews in Germany.”\
“Never again is the obligation of each individual. Never again is now.”
Among the 106 signatory companies are major car manufacturers, including Porsche, VW, BMW, and Audi, as well as business software maker SAP, engineering company Siemens, airline operator Lufthansa and insurer Allianz. Germany’s banks Deutsche Bank, Sparkasse and LBBW, and media and publishing groups Bertelsmann and Hubert Burda, were also among the enterprises supporting the statement.
The declaration comes as antisemitic incidents have been rising in Germany following the outbreak of war that began when terror group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, launched a massive air, sea, and land assault on the Jewish state on October 7, killing and mutilating over 1,400 people — mostly civilians — in a matter of hours. Over 200 people of all ages were abducted by Palestinian terrorists and taken back to Gaza as captives.
Following Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli declaration of war on the terror group in Gaza, police have increased security for Jewish institutions.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday that he was outraged by the antisemitic agitation spreading to Germany, and warned at the inauguration of a new synagogue that the vow of “Never again” must be unbreakable.
AP contributed to this report.
