German President Joachim Gauck and his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin warned against the global rise of anti-Semitism, especially in Europe.
“I am very worried. Worldwide anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish slogans are on the rise,” said Rivlin, who is on a 3-day state visit to Berlin to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“In the entire free world — and especially in Europe, given its not too distant past — alarm bells should be ringing,” he said in a joint interview with Gauck published in German and Israeli newspapers.
Gauck expressed concern about rising hate speech against Jews and the state of Israel, both in his country and elsewhere in Europe.
“In Germany too, during demonstrations last year, we saw anti-Semitism, some of it cloaked as criticism of Israel, some of it open,” he said, referring to street protests against Israel’s Operation Protective Edge against Hamas in Gaza over the past summer.
“In addition to a ‘traditional’ anti-Semitism we are increasingly confronted with anti-Semitism from immigrant families,” said Gauck, adding that this “made me and the overwhelming majority of Germans feel deeply ashamed”.
During his visit, Rivlin attended a memorial ceremony on Platform 17 in Berlin, from which tens of thousands of Jews were sent to death and concentration camps during the Holocaust.
He also met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier before attending a ceremony at the capital's main orchestra hall, the Berliner Philharmonie.