Germans urged to wear kippah in act of Jewish solidarity

THE German government has called on people to wear Jewish skullcaps this weekend in an act of solidarity against anti-semitism.

The appeal follows an about-turn on an official warning to Jewish men not to wear kippahs in public for their own safety, and came as Angela Merkel lamented anti-semitism in Germany.

“There is to this day not a single synagogue, a single day care centre for Jewish children, not a single school for Jewish children that does not need to be guarded by German policemen,” the chancellor told CNN.

“Unfortunately, over the years we have not been able to deal with this satisfactorily.”

Felix Klein, the German government’s anti-semitism commissioner, warned Jewish men at the weekend not to wear traditional kippah or yarmulke skullcaps amid a sharp rise in anti-semitic attacks.

The warning was backed by Germany’s largest Jewish organisation, the Central Council of Jews, but came under widespread criticism.

President Reuven Rivlin of Israel described it as a “capitulation to antisemitism”, while Mrs Merkel’s spokesman said: “The state must see to it that the free exercise of religion is possible for all ... and that anyone can move around safely in our country while wearing a kippah.”

Mr Klein later backed away from his initial warning and called for people across the country to wear skullcaps in a sign of solidarity with Israel and Jewish people this weekend as Muslims mark Al-quds Day, an annual event in support of the Palestinians.

Bild, Germany’s top-selling newspaper, produced cut-out kippahs to wear and asked readers to “stand in solidarity with their Jewish neighbours”.