We are publishing here the open letter from Berlin’s Jewish community calling for a social and safe city, in which they express their support for the ‘Die Linke’ party joining the government.
Open Letter: Berliner Jews for a Social and Safe City
Berlin, the day after the election
We are Berlin Jews who come from different backgrounds, belong to different Jewish cultural institutions and initiatives, pray in different synagogues (or not at all), and vote for different parties. We are writing this letter because, over the past few weeks, we have heard the same claim time and again: that The Left is dangerous for Jews, and that a coalition involving the party poses a danger to our safety. We reject this claim not because we downplay concerns about our safety, but because we actually take them seriously.
At a time when an in-parts openly fascistic political party is marching towards power across Germany, it is an abdication of responsibility on the part of mainstream media and elements of our own community to continue to pretend that the Left presents the largest threat to Jewish safety. Like any form of bigotry, Antisemitism can be found in different parts of society. And, like any other form of bigotry, it becomes most dangerous where it is coupled with far-right ideology and with the anti-democratic tendencies and conflicts being played out violently on our streets. The constant accusations of antisemitism against the left are not only cynical political weaponisation, but they also conflate nearly any criticism of Israel with antisemitism. The barrage of accusations aims to stifle dissent and the protection of international law. In this reality, singling out a democratic left-wing party while antisemitism is rising everywhere is not a neutral observation but a political choice about where to direct attention.
We are just as concerned about something else: How will we – and all Berliners – live in this city over the next five years? Rising rents affect Jewish families just as much as everyone else. Precarious employment, overcrowded schools, a healthcare system stretched to its limits, growing social division – all of this creates precisely the kind of social tensions in which antisemitism thrives. Those who ignore social hardship leave the field open to those who are always the first to look for scapegoats. A city government that secures affordable housing, strengthens public services, and tangibly reduces social inequality does more for social cohesion, and thus also for our safety, than the symbolic exclusion of a democratically elected party.
That is why we say: The clearly better choice for this city, including for us as Jews, is a coalition that takes seriously the socio-economic agenda that is needed now. Not because we agree with every position held by the Left – or the other parties for that matter – we do not, and we will continue to be critical where necessary. But because a red-red-green coalition, with its progressive social agenda, is key to countering the right, and has the potential to address the root causes of social tensions, whereas maintaining the status quo or shifting to the right would only exacerbate them.
We ask the future Governing Mayor and her coalition partners for two things: Treat our safety for what it is – a red line, not a matter for negotiation. Don’t do cynical politics on the backs of Jewish safety concerns. And take our social hardships just as seriously as those of all other Berliners. The two go hand in hand. A city that becomes more just will also be a city where we live more safely.
Berlin Jews for a Social and Safe City
- Nimrod Adam, Technologist
- Udi Aloni, Film maker
- Hila Amit, Autorin
- Nadav Avruch
- David Bakum
- Gal Bar Nisan
- Raz Bdv
- Susanne Beer
- Eliana Ben-David
- Gilad BenDavid
- Vered Berman, Ansprechperson zu Antisemitismus, Alice-Salomon-Hochschule
- Dr. Sanders Isaac Bernstein
- Michelle Bernstein, Yiddishist / Filmmaker / Writer
- Raquel Elena Blum
- Jacob Blumenfeld
- Assaf Bondy
- Julia Bosson, Editor-in-Chief, the Diasporist
- Micah Brashear, Lehrer (AdL)
- Amos Brison
- Dalia Castel
- Arun Chaudhary, Former Videographer for Barack Obama
- Gal Chen, Analyst
- Jordan Coll
- Ben Cruchley, Musiker
- Irene Dische
- Emily Dische-Becker
- Esther Dischereit, Schriftstellerin
- Guli Dolev-Hashiloni
- Tomer Dotan-Dreyfus, Autor, Publizist
- Danit Dottan
- Nika Dubrovsky, Director of David Graeber Institute
- Michael Dunajevsky
- Walter Einat
- Max Elias
- Debby Farber, Curator and researcher
- Deborah Feldman, Autorin, Publizistin
- Dr. Noa Feldman
- Orsolya Ferenczi
- Nimrod Flaschenberg, Israelis für Frieden
- Ruth Fruchtman, Autorin
- Dr. Yael Gaulan
- Tom Givol
- Dr. Michal Givoni
- Harry Glass, Executive Director, Berlin Atonal
- Milena Glimbovski, Unternehmerin, Autorin
- Maya Gorkin
- Scott Grabell, Varietè Artist
- Dr. Shany Grossman
- Assaf Gruber, Artist and filmmaker
- Nia Grünberg
- Maya Guttmann
- Karen Emma Haber, Schriftstellerin
- Michal Halevy
- Gali Har-Gil
- Camille Hausken-Brates
- Iris Hefets, Psychoanalytikerin
- Naomi Heimann
- Rafael Heimann
- Rotem Heyman
- Alma Itzhaky, Künstlerin
- Hori Izhaki
- Sarah Milena Jochwed
- Michal Kaiser-Livne, Psychoanalytikerin
- Noy Avinoam Katsman
- Dr. Jordan D. Klein
- Sonja Knüppel
- Oded Korach
- Omer Krieger, Artist
- Na’ama Landau
- Josef Laor
- Jacob Lefton
- Shay Lerner
- Avisar Alon Lev
- Naomi Levari
- Nadine Levin
- Dr. Romm Lewkowicz, Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute
- Eyal Li
- Shelly Lieber
- Rapha Linden, Writer
- Adi Liraz
- Shoshana London Sappir
- Dr. Jossef Loss
- Avital Lutzky, Educator
- Itamar Mann
- Naomi Mark
- Dr. Asher J. Mattern, Rabbiner
- Eva Menasse, Schriftstellerin
- Yael Merlini, Lehrerin
- Dr. Ben Miller, Historiker, Autor; Vorstand, Schwules Museum
- Yonatan Miller, Gewerkschafter
- Elya Milner, PhD
- Irit Mogilevsky
- Laura Moser, Writer
- Irit Naaman, Teacher
- Etay Naor
- Prof. Susan Neiman, Director Emerita, Einstein Forum/Senior Fellow, New York University
- Merrill Nisker, Musician
- Noki Olchovsky
- Eli Osheorff
- Shlomo Owen
- Jonathan Peaceman, freier Journalist
- Noam Perry
- Einat Podjarny
- Avraham Ramati
- Tamar Raphael, Schriftstellerin, Lehrerin
- Adam Raz, Historian
- Prof. em. Dr. Fanny-Michaela Reisin
- Theresia Rexeisen
- Emilia Zenzile Roig, Author
- Ron Rothschild
- Robert Rotifer, Journalist und Musiker
- Ryan Ruby, Writer
- Gaia Saati
- Dror Sadot
- Alon Sahar, Founder, Staatsräson Monitor
- Ravit Sandler Jaffe
- Naftali Sappir
- Michael Sappir, Writer
- Tali Schaefer
- Eran Schaerf, Artist
- Feli Schuler, Studentin
- Ben Schuman-Stoler, Kollo Media Founder, HEIST Founding Publisher
- Charlotte Sebes
- Jonathan Shamir
- Nil Shani
- Mati Shemeolof, Author
- Or Shemesh
- Milan Shiff
- Gil Shohat, Historiker, politischer Bildner
- Sonia Simmenauer
- Walter Solon, Artist / Filmmaker
- Lili Sommerfeld, Musikerin
- Nirit Sommerfeld
- Jacob Sperber, Public Relations
- Shaked Spier
- Maya Steinberg, Filmmaker
- Adina Stern
- Lilli Stern
- Maayan Strauss
- Eliad Vagner
- Dr. Katharina Verleger
- Joel Vogel, Artist
- Emily Weingarten, Sozialarbeitende
- Laura Weiss, Ärztin
- Yehudit Yinhar, Artist
- Dr. Or Yizhar
- Dr. Kim Yuval
- Lili Zahavi, Director
- Roni Zahavi-Brunner
- Roy Zinger, Marketing Specialist
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