The young Berliner Abdul B., who deliberately drove a rented van into the crowd at Christopher Street Day on the evening of July 25th, injuring 29 people and killing one woman, is presented to readers of the German magazine Stern as a young man "with the heart of a
When I posted my short notice about "Queers for Israel" in the morning, I hadn’t yet looked at the German newspapers and knew nothing about the Islamic attack on participants in Berlin’s Christopher Street Day. What was intended as a showcase of tolerant, "colorful"
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(In the following text I presented my thesis on the "flexible ego of Israelis". It was written for an American Jewish magazine, below you will find a German version, published in print magazine Opus (Nr. 101, Nov. 2024). An extended German version was published on Achgut.com on
"Queers for Israel" appeared in my Facebook feed, which is why I googled them last night. It's predominantly Anglo-Saxon community, Americans, Australians, Brits. The idea of creating a pro-Israel counter to the "Queers for Palestine" movement (founded by potential suicides), seemed sensible
After a week packed with work and exciting affairs, I stumble into Shabbat half-conscious and confused. I couldn’t even recite the Kaddish properly in synagogue, although I’d said it a hundred times before. Now, on Saturday evening, after the Torah reading, lunch with my wife, and a
Today is Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av, our day of mourning. It commemorates the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.—an event that took place over two and a half millennia ago. According
Anti-Semitism is, from the very beginning, a destructive attitude. Its essence is rooted in rejection and aversion. Throughout history, anti-Semitism has often been the starting point for broader attitudes of contempt and rejection; in most cases, it did not stop at the Jews, but began with them only
It's reasonable that we fight anti-Semitism. And try to get rid of it. But I don't truly believe in a world without hatred against Jews. For the extraordinary achievements of the Jewish people in the past, in the present, and—hopefully—in the future will
Probably biggest mistake made by current Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in his bid for re-election: “The prime minister is repairing his partnership with the blackmailing ultra-Orthodox political leadership at the terrible cost of destroying equality before the law and—despite the echoes of the year 2023—weakening Israel’
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(Text first in English, than in German) The relationship between Germany and Israel is of necessity a complex one. Given the fraught historical and political context one can easily get over-emotional. It would appear that this relationship, always fragile, is now close to breaking point. German by birth and
Yesterday I was surprised by hundreds of birthday wishes on Facebook, WhatsApp, and email. There was hardly any time to celebrate—I had to proofread a new book and unpack boxes containing books and pictures from our house in Berlin, which we’re now selling—amid the usual delays caused
The question of whether—and to what extent—European funds have helped finance terrorism against Israel remains unanswered. Moritz Körner (35, FDP), a German member of the European Parliament, wants to force the agency headed by Ursula von der Leyen to release all “Gaza files,” including bank statements (...) There is