Germany's incoming anti-Semitism commissioner is to establish a central register for anti-Jewish crime. Meanwhile in the Bundestag, MPs condemned anti-Semitism and stressed Germany's friendship with Israel.
Some MPs wore kippas during the Bundestag debate on Israel on ThursdayImage: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kappeler
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Felix Klein, Germany's first anti-Semitism commissioner told public radio that in order to better understand anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish sentiment establishing a central register is to be a priority when he takes office on May 1.
"There has always been anti-Semitism in Germany, but it is more blatant now, more aggressive," he told rbb public radio.
He stressed that there were already good regional initiatives, but that a nationwide register would help get "a good overview" of anti-Jewish offenses in Germany.
Klein said that while there are concerns about anti-Semitism among some Muslim migrant, he is most worried about what he termed "secondary anti-Semitism, which lies at the heart of society…people who are prejudiced; supposedly funny jokes at the dinner table."
"That's a challenge for our society, which can only be solved medium-to-longterm," he told rbb.
He also said he wants to improve cooperation with Germany's Muslim associations, whose response to anti-Semitism, he says, could be "more coordinated."
Meanwhile, MPs in the German parliament, the Bundestag, marked the 70th anniversary this year of the founding of the State of Israel, with some lawmakers wearing kippas for the occasion.
The Bundestag approved a motion brought by the CDU and CSU, the FDP and the SPD on Germany's historical responsibility and future friendship with Israel.
Yarmulke, mitra or veil: religious head coverings across the globe
Followers of various religions wear special head coverings to express their faith and show humility and dignity. Yarmulkes, mitras, veils and turbans are made of a great variety of materials.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Dyck
Yarmulke
European Jews started wearing the yarmulke, or kippa, in the 17th and 18th centuries, turning the skullcap into a religious symbol. Pious Jews are expected to cover their heads, but the fabric isn't that important, and a hat or scarf is acceptable, too. Jewish Halacha law requires men and boys to cover their head when they pray, visit a synagogue or a Jewish cemetery or study the religion.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/W. Rothermel
Miter
The miter is the ceremonial headdress worn by bishops, mainly in the Roman-Catholic Church. It goes back to the 11th century, with the tall, peaked hat deeply cleft on the sides and adorned with two ribbons at the back symbolizing the Old and the New Testaments.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/P. Seeger
Dastar
Members of the Sikh faith, a monotheistic religion founded in India's northern Punjab region in the 15th century, wear a dastar. A dastar is usually worn by men, with orange being a popular color. Underneath the cloth headwear, which is re-knotted every morning, Sikh men let their hair grow freely.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Dyck
Chador
In Farsi, the word chador means "tent," and that is what this garment worn by observant Muslim women in some parts of the Middle East resembles. Usually black, it covers a woman from the head down, hiding the shape of the body, revealing only the face. The chador is worn over a woman's regular clothing.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M.Kappeler
Nun's veil
Nuns almost always wear a distinctive veil to complete their religious garment, the habit. Novices' veils are white, while professed nuns usually wear a black veil, or one in their habit's color. Depending on the religious order, veils come in different sizes and shapes. Some are elaborate and cover the woman's entire head; others are simply pinned to the sister's hair.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/U. Baumgarten
Headscarf
Is a woman's headscarf a religious headdress, or a symbol of oppression? In the West in particular, that continues to be a matter of heated debate. It is certainly the most well-known female head covering. Turkish women (as in this photo) tie headscarves differently from women in Arabic countries.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Schiffmann
Sheitel
The ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community in New York has strict rules for married women, who are required to shave their hair and wear a wig, the "sheitel." In her 2012 bestseller memoir "Unorthodox," US author Deborah Feldman describes growing up in the ultra-religious group.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot/Y. Dongxun
Birett
A bit of cloth, strips of cardboard and a tassel — voila, the birett, a head covering worn by Roman Catholic priests since the 13th century. In the Netherlands, Germany, Britain and France, the hat has four corners. In many other countries, it has three.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Ebener
Birett
A bit of cloth, strips of cardboard and a tassle — voila, the birett, a head covering worn by Roman Catholic priests since the 13th century. In the Netherlands, Germany, Britain and France, the hat has four corners. In many other countries, it has three. If you remember the character Don Camillo (played by French actor Fernandel in a series of films in the 1950s and '60s), you know the hat!
Image: Picture-alliance/akg-images
Tagelmust
The cotton scarf that can be up to 15 meters long is worn by Tuareg Berber Muslim men throughout western Africa. The tagelmust covers the head and is pulled over the mouth and nose against wind-born sand in the desert. The turban-style headdress is worn by adult men only. When indigo blue, the tagelmust's dye can rub off on the skin, hence the Tuareg being called the "blue men of the desert."
The Jewish shtreimel hat is made of velvet and has a wide fur trim, usually sable. Married men wear the hat on Jewish holidays and for religious festivities. The eye-catching headgear originated in Hasidic communities in southeastern Europe, a tradition that became nearly extinct in Europe after the Holocaust.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto
Hats and bonnets
The Amish are a conservative Christian group in North America that originated in the tradition of the Anabaptist movement in Switzerland and southern Germany. The first Amish fled to the US in the early 18th century to escape religious persecution. They live simple lives, and shun modern technology and conveniences. The women wear plain bonnets; the men wear straw or felt hats.
Image: DW/S. Sanderson
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All parties agreed that "anti-Semitism must never again be part of Germany" and that Germany must be "Israel's guarantor," as Green politician Katrin Göring-Eckardt put it.
The Left's parliamentary party leader, Dietmar Bartsch, called the fact that there was any anti-Semitism at all "shameful."
Migrants and anti-Semitism
SPD chair Andrea Nahles said that Germany was responsible for the killing of millions of Jews in World War II and that that "responsibility does not simply end, neither for subsequent generations nor for those who come to our country," alluding to anti-Jewish sentiment among some of the recent migrants to Germany from Muslim countries.
"We will always and categorically defend Israel's right to exist," she added.
Conservative CDU MP Volker Kauder stressed that anti-Semitism in Germany had been there long before the recent arrival of Muslim migrants after populist AfD politician Alexander Gauland said that "anti-Semitism should not turn into collateral damage of a misguided refugee policy."
Seven decades of Israel: A controversial jubilee
"Israel has a variety of cultures, and at the same time, the country is afflicted with social and political issues," says Corinna Kern. See Israel’s 70th anniversary through the lens of a Tel Aviv-based photographer.
Image: DW/C. Kern
Big celebrations: Bathing in soap bubbles
As the country turns 70, Israelis are coming together to celebrate. The festivities, like here at Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, started Wednesday evening and peaked in a big beach party. On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, announced the country's independence in Tel Aviv.
Image: DW/C. Kern
Fireworks mark country-wide celebrations
In keeping with the Hebrew calendar, Israel's Independence Day festivities began this year on April 18. The anniversary celebrations have, however, been overshadowed by tensions on Israel’s northern border and renewed violence and protests in Gaza.
Image: DW/C. Kern
Cult status: The 'Father of Israel'
In Tel Aviv, Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, is always present. This statue shows him doing a handstand — in the same spot and pose he was captured in by photographer Paul Goldman in 1957.
Image: DW/C. Kern
Tel Aviv: A modern metropolis
Tel Aviv was the first modern Hebrew city. Its skyline contrasts with the old houses of Neve Tzedek. In 1887, long before Israel’s declaration of independence, the quarter was the first Jewish neighborhood built outside Old Jaffa.
Image: DW/C. Kern
Neve Tzedek: Where hipsters meet
Today, 70 years after Israel’s founding, Neve Tzedek is one of the hippest places in town — a trendy neighborhood with an old Jewish culture. While young Israelis and tourists are flocking to the bars, cafés and shops, the historic side of Israel is ever present.
Image: DW/C. Kern
Changing times: The first generation
Zion Howav is two years older than the state of Israel. He has lived in Neve Tzedek since he was young. "Fifty to 60 years ago you wouldn’t have seen people on the streets on Friday afternoons, they would all go to the synagogue," the 72-year-old says.
Image: DW/C. Kern
Israel’s settlement policy
As Israel marks its founding, disagreement over the West Bank settlements remain. Maaleh Adumim, surrounded by the Judean Desert, is one of them. For the Israeli political right, they are among the country's major achievements. For the left, they are a blight on Israel's international reputation.
Image: DW/C. Kern
Proud of his country’s achievements
Neri Ureli, 60, lives in Maaleh Adumim. "Israel is a country that has done so much in its 70 years. I’m proud because [it] came from nothing. To build in the desert, this is also something ideological, not in a political sense, but to take land that has nothing on it and create something from nothing."
Image: DW/C. Kern
Maaleh Adumim's ideological art
Theodor Herzl, often referred to as "the spiritual father of the Jewish State," adorns this wall in Maaleh Adumim. The city, home to 40,000 people, is one of the closest Israeli settlements to Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank. Last year, the government announced plans to expand the city.
Image: DW/C. Kern
A city in strife
Since the Israeli government intensified its settlement policy, Maaleh Adumim has become a flash point of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. There are plans to make it one of the first settlements officially annexed by Israel, thus putting the whole Middle East peace process at risk.