The German government’s anti-Semitism commissioner has urged Jews to avoid wearing “kippa”, the traditional Jewish skullcaps in public, the media reported on Sunday.
Felix Klein warned Jews against donning the kippa in parts of the country, following a rise in anti-Semitism, the BBC reported.
Klein said his opinion on the matter had “changed compared with what it used to be”.
“I cannot recommend to Jews that they wear the skullcap at all times everywhere in Germany,” he told the Funke newspaper on Saturday.
A sharp increase was recorded last year by the German government last year in the number of anti-Semitic offences.
Official figures showed 1,646 hate crimes against Jews were committed in 2018 – an increase of 10 per cent on the previous year.
Physical attacks against Jews in Germany also rose in the same period, with 62 violent incidents recorded, up from 37 in 2017.
Klein suggested “the lifting of inhibitions and the uncouthness” of society could be behind the spike in anti-Semitic crimes sweeping country.
The Internet, social media and “constant attacks against our culture of remembrance” may be contributing factors, he added.
Why is anti-Semitism on the rise?
Jewish groups have warned that a rise in popularity of far-right groups is fostering anti-Semitism and hatred of other minorities throughout Europe.
Since 2017, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been the country’s main opposition party. AfD is openly against immigration but the party denies holding anti-Semitic views, reported the BBC.
However, a number of comments from their politicians, including remarks about the Holocaust, have drawn criticism from Jewish groups and other politicians.
Last year, a survey of thousands of European Jews revealed that many were increasingly worried about anti-Semitism.
