Germany fights antisemitism, promote Jewish life

RELIGIONS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA) – Amid fears of local extremism, Germany` government approved Germany’s first-ever programm specifically designed to fight antisemitism and promote Jewish life. 

 As “Jewish News” reported Jewish leaders welcome this official moves by German government.

The German government’s new strategy identifies five fields of action: data collection, research and accurate assessment of antisemitism; education as prevention; new approaches to Holocaust remembrance; increasing security; and making current and past Jewish life in Germany visible.

The 52-page plan is an answer to the European Union’s 2021 call to action, in which member states were urged to submit national strategies to combat antisemitism by the end of 2022.

Approved last Thursday by the entire German Cabinet and presented in Berlin by Felix Klein, Germany’s commissioner on antisemitism, the national strategy against anti-semitism and for Jewish life highlights best practices and recommends new actions to be taken on political and societal levels.

The plot foiled on Wednesday was organized by a group inspired by QAnon conspiracy theories and far-right ideology espoused by parties growing in influence across Europe — including the AfD in Germany.

At least 25 people, including a former parliamentarian and former members of German special military forces, were arrested in approximately 130 raids, CBS News reported. The group, comprised of a widespread underground network, aimed to attack the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament.

A rise in the number of neo-Nazis and other extremists in the German military have alarmed officials in recent years. Far-right extremists have been involved in multiple terror attacks, including on a synagogue in Halle in 2019.