A Jewish boy has had to change Berlin schools after he was bullied, beaten and threatened by Muslim students.
The case has captured the attention of Germany, where Muslim refugees generate controversy and anger and the legacy of homicidal anti-Semitism continues to cast a shadow over the country’s history.
The 14-year-old, whose name has been withheld in accordance with child protection laws, endured beatings from Muslim students who kicked him and pretended they were going to kill him with a replica gun.
His fellow pupils told him, “Muslims hate Jews. All Jews are murderers.” His British mother — whose name has also been withheld — talked to The Daily Telegraph this week about her son’s experiences. She says the school did virtually nothing to stop the bullying or punish her son’s tormentors.
“They told us this is normal for adolescents from this background, that they’re just trying to find their identity,” she said. “But it shouldn’t be normal. I’ve never experienced such direct anti-Semitism before in all the years I’ve lived in Germany.”
The case is not unique and is similar to others where people wearing Jewish religious garb have been attacked on the streets of Berlin. These beatings, conducted by Muslims, have sparked outrage in some quarters over the what is perceived as a visceral hatred of Jews by members of the Islamic community.
“In some German mosques, anti-Semitism is being actively encouraged,” said Josef Schuster, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.
The young student who endured the bullying was born in London to a German father and British mother — but they family moved to Germany early in the boy’s life and has resided there ever since.
They selected the Friedenauer Gemeinschaftsschule school partly because it was promoted for its mixed ethnicity. A majority of the students there are Muslim.
The boy’s battle began when he announced in a religious studies class that he was Jewish.
“It was natural for him to tell them. It wouldn’t occur to him to hide it,” his mother said. “The next day was his birthday. He was looking forward to going to school — he had this friend and they were planning to rap together.”
That was until the Muslim student asked if the other boy was actually Jewish. “He said, ‘Listen, you’re a cool guy, but I can’t be friends with you. Muslims aren’t friends with Jews,'” she said.
After the boy was pushed and punched, he told his parents what had happened and they arranged for the boy’s grandparents to speak to the school — both are Holocaust survivors. The lecture apparently did little good and the school remained disinterested in the boy’s plight.
“They didn’t want to know,” she said.After one older student threatened the Jewish boy with a replica gun, the parents decided they had had enough and wondered how far the violence would escalate.
They moved him to another school.
The school where the anti-Semitic activity occurred has proclaimed its “regret and horror” in a statement.