Germany’s commissioner on anti-Semitism calls out to Jews not to wear kippahs anywhere in the country.

US Ambassador to Jews in Germany: “Wear your kippah—educate people that we are a diverse society”

Anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish attacks are increasingly rampant in Germany recently. To reduce the incidents, Germany’s commissioner on anti-Semitism advised the Jews not to wear the kippahs in any public space in Germany. This was stated by Felix Klein in his interview with Funk media group on Saturday (5/25).

The kippah is a traditional skullcap to cover the head which is only used by men in the Jewish communities. According to the data recorded by the Germany Interior Ministry, anti-Semitic crimes rose 20% last year.

In response to this, the US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell tweeted on his Twitter page to call out all Jews to keep wearing their traditional skullcaps and no need to conceal their religious identities because society should be educated that people in Germany are diverse and it is something that must be embraced.

Whereas the Israeli President Reuven Rivlin responded in shock that it is a glaring proof that Jews are unsafe in the German soil. He also said the warning for Jews not to wear the kippahs is the same as a capitulation to anti-Semitism.

In 2018, Chief Rabbi David Lau also encouraged the Jewish communities to use their kippahs with pride. Rather in order to address this problem, the law enforcement authorities must be able to ensure that Jews can live safely in Germany.