German Government Warns Jews Not To Wear Kippas In Public, As Anti-Semitism Rises

The German anti-Semitism commissioner Felix Klein has warned members of the German Jewish community to not wear their Kippas everywhere in public, as anti-Semitic crimes are on the increase across Germany.

The kippa, also known as the Yarmulke, is a traditional cap worn by some Jewish men to honor God. They are often worn in Jewish synagogues and other places of worship to show respect to the tenets of Judaism.

Official recent government figures show that a total of 1,799 hate crimes were committed against Jews in Germany in 2018, an increase of almost 20% over the previous year.

German Justice Minister Katarina Barley told the business newspaper Handelsblatt that the increase of anti-Semitic crimes were "shameful for our country."

"We need to be careful and vigilant in light of the rise of anti-Semitic crimes," German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said.

Israel President Reuven Rivlin said Klein's warning for German Jews not to wear the Kippa in public was "an admittance that once, again, Jews are not safe on German soil."

The problem has because particularly troublesome in German schools. In 2017, anti-Semitic bullying from students of Arab and Turkish descent forced a Jewish student to leave from a school in Berlin. The rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany party and nationalist movements has also been behind the rise of anti-Semitic attacks.