Flag of Germany
Flag of GermanyReuters

Germany's Interior Ministry said on Thursday it has appointed two Jews to a new commission on anti-Semitism, in response to criticism that there was none among the original eight experts chosen, according to The Associated Press (AP).

The ministry said that Marina Chernivsky, of a Berlin-based organization that fights anti-Semitism and xenophobia, and Andreas Nachama, director of the Topography of Terror museum in the capital that documents Nazi-era crimes, would both join the commission.

When created earlier this year, the commission drew widespread criticism for not including any Jews. The Interior Ministry responded at the time that the religious affiliation of the experts hadn't been a criterion in the selection process.

The commission will investigate anti-Semitism in Germany over the next two years and present its findings to Parliament as a basis for a discussion on how to tackle problems.

Anti-Semitic violence has been on the rise in Europe and has not skipped Germany where, during last summer’s war in Gaza, protesters waving Palestinian Authority flags and pictures of late PA leader Yasser Arafat shouted anti-Semitic slogans at rallies against Israeli military action.

Exclaiming "Allahu Akbar" (God is great), crowds in Berlin have reportedly yelled "Death to Israel" and chanted "Zionists are fascists, killing children and civilians".

In one particularly shocking video, thousands of demonstrators can be heard chanting "Jew, Jew, cowardly pig, come on out and fight on your own".

To top that, a Berlin imam has openly prayed for the annihilation of Zionist Jews, asking Allah to "kill them to the very last one." 

Another anti-Semitic incident occurred in November, when the mayor of the German city of Dortmund asked authorities to ban the neo-Nazi 'Die Rechte' party, after it reportedly demanded that the mayor send a list of the city's Jews, a request that the mayor promptly refused.