|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A 24-year-old Jewish man was violently attacked in Erfurt, Germany, on Friday morning after his attacker saw that he was wearing a Star of David necklace.
The incident took place shortly after 6:30 a.m. on Line 3 of the city’s tram service, police said.
The assailant tried to drag the victim off the tram and then kicked him several times. After they disembarked at different stops, the attacker confronted the young man again, threatened him, and fled.
Police have opened a search and are reviewing surveillance footage. Authorities say the suspect is about 30 years old, with a German appearance, short blond hair, and approximately 185 centimeters tall. Officials classified the case as a “politically motivated crime.”
Normalization of Antisemitism After Hamas’s October 7 Massacre
The attack illustrates a worsening climate of hostility toward Jews in Germany. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), 1,047 antisemitic crimes occurred nationwide between January and March this year. These included 27 violent assaults and 422 cases of incitement to hatred.
Such crimes ranged from property damage and threats to serious physical violence. By June, investigators had identified 470 suspects; however, only seven arrests followed. Authorities explained that most incidents were politically motivated and tied primarily to far-right extremists.
Recent figures confirm a steep rise. In 2024, German officials recorded 6,560 antisemitic crimes nationwide. Of these, 1,488 involved violence — representing an increase of more than 20% compared to the previous year.
Antisemitism has not only intensified since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel, but it is also becoming normalized across public life. The Erfurt assault shows the danger clearly: Jews face harassment and violence for something as basic as wearing a Star of David in public.
Take Action
CAM has launched Report It — a secure app to report antisemitic incidents anonymously and in real time. Don’t stay silent — download it today on the Apple Store or Google Play. See it. Report it. Stop it. Together, we can fight this hate.
