Bar-Ami, 37, had felt uncomfortable wearing his kippah publicly in some parts of Berlin even before the October 7 outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, which started after terrorists from Gaza broke through the border fence in a shock onslaught, rampaged through southern Israel, and killed, tortured and mutilated some 1,400 people, mostly civilians.
But with the onset of the war, which is unleashing a wave of antisemitism by Muslims in Europe, the rabbi has for the first time in his life switched to hiding his kippah under a hat regularly whenever he’s outdoors in the German capital.
“I’ve never felt as unsafe as I do now,” said Bar-Ami, adding that some his friends told him they feel unsafe around him when he wear his kippah.
Similar fears are shared by Jews across the continent, where antisemitic incidents are skyrocketing. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of protesters rally at demonstrations that are billed as expressions of support of Palestinian civilians, but that many, both Jewish and non-Jewish, perceive as shows of Jew-hatred and solidarity with Hamas despite its recent displays of extreme barbarism against Israelis. READ MORE
