Israel's Ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, is calling for a stronger response to growing antisemitism in Germany, reported Deutsche Welle.
"The fact that Jews are afraid to wear a kippah on the street or speak on their cellphones in Hebrew, that simply cannot be. We have to wake up," Prosor was quoted as having told dpa news agency in an interview on Friday.
"People who are afraid to take their children to school if the school is not protected: These are conditions that are not normal," warned the Ambassador. "The fear is really there."
Prosor emphasized that the rise in antisemitism is not purely a German problem, but that Germany has a special responsibility to properly address the development.
"In Germany, it is even more important to change that," he said. "When Molotov cocktails are thrown to set fire to synagogues, then you can't just react with words, you have to do something practical."
Prosor called for gaps in education about Israel to be closed and for action to be taken in schools, adding that the increased security measures to keep Jews safe should not be considered normal.
Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, the number of antisemitic crimes in Germany has risen sharply. The Federal Criminal Police Office has recorded more than 1,100 antisemitic offenses up to December 21.
The increase in crimes since October, which were mainly damage to property and incitement to hatred, is a steep rise from the previous three quarters of this year, with 558 antisemitic crimes registered in the first quarter, 609 in the second and 540 in the third.
In one incident, a synagogue in the German capital of Berlin was firebombed by two assailants. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime.
In late October, police in the western German city of Essen arrested a man who plotted to attack a pro-Israel demonstration.