Berlin Jewish newspaper hides surnames amid antisemitism spike

Longtime Jewish publication in Germany no longer uses community members full names out of fear they will be targeted by antisemites.

By World Israel News Staff

A Jewish publication in Berlin now refers to members of the community only by their first names out of fear that revealing their full names would make them targets for antisemitic attacks and harassment.

Jewish Berlin, a longtime community periodical, has a “Mazel Tov” section in which children’s births and bar and bat mitzvah celebrations are announced, along with greetings for those over the age of 65.

According to an Israel Hayom report, the newspaper recently announced a change to the “Mazel Tov” section, reflective of the security challenges Jewish Berliners are facing in light of increased global antisemitism following the October 7th terror attacks.

“Dear community members, in light of current anti-Israel and antisemitic incidents, we are now printing only birthday and bar/bat mitzvah names with abbreviated surnames as a precautionary security measure,” the paper stated.

Ilan Kiesling, a spokesman for the local Jewish community, confirmed to Bild that the decision is meant to help “minimize the potential for hostile actions against our community members.”

Ahmed Mansour, an expert on radical Islam, told Bild that the decision was indicative of the German state’s failure to robustly protect its Jewish community.

“An increasing number of Jews in this country fear being publicly identified as Jewish and subsequently attacked,” Mansour said.

“This represents more than just a tragedy—it signifies a fundamental failure. A failure of our political system, our society, and those who claim that ‘never again’ amounts to more than empty rhetoric.”

According to a report by Germany’s Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS), antisemitic incidents in Berlin during the first half of 2024 surpassed all of those recorded in 2023.

From January to June 2024, RIAS documented 1,383 antisemitic incidents in Berlin, averaging about eight per day.

Of the 1,383 incidents, two were classified as extreme violence, meaning that the victims suffered serious bodily harm.

In another 23 incidents classified as physical attacks, victims were assaulted, albeit less severely.