Berlin Education Administration Takes Action Against Anti-Semitism in Schools

The Berlin education administration strives to support schools in the fight against anti-Semitism. There have already been individual incidents.

Police at a high school in Neukölln after a dispute over a Palestinian flag Photo: Jörg Carstensen/dpa

BERLIN taz | Conflicts related to the Middle East conflict are not a new problem in schools. But the dispute at Neukölln’s Ernst-Abbe-Gymnasium was a particularly violent case, says Martin Klesmann, spokesman for the Senate Department for Education. There was a physical altercation between a teacher and a student at the high school on Monday after another student showed a Palestine flag in the schoolyard.

Isolated reports

In the past few days, schools especially from Neukölln and partly from Schöneberg have contacted us about statements about the current conflict in the student body. At the beginning of the week, the Senate administration sent an email to the schools with recommendations for action and offers of advice. “We have already met with the school management in Neukölln,” said Klesmann. What they learned was that “existing offers for democracy education and anti-Semitism prevention are now desired locally, for example with a project week on the topic,” said Klesmann. The Senate has also announced that it will allow security guards at schools in Neukölln together with the district, also to prevent unauthorized persons from entering.

Schools report anti-Semitic incidents to the regional school inspectorate, which then provides support. “We are currently coordinating with other Senate administrations in order to give schools even more concrete guidance as quickly as possible about what is allowed to take place in schools – and what is not,” said Klesmann.

Concrete support

Die Kreuzberg initiative against anti-Semitism (Kiga) offers consultations for teachers on Friday and at the beginning of next week. The educational initiative’s offerings are aimed primarily at migrant young people. It is also about how teachers can talk to students about the current political situation. Basically, it is important to give space to emotions, says Desiree Galert, project manager at Kiga, in a podcast.

In Neukölln they are in contact with the schools, says district spokesman Christian Berg. “If the conflict in Gaza escalates, the risk of clashes in Neukölln will also increase.”

Berlin’s anti-Semitism commissioner Samuel Salzborn sees a significant increase in hatred of Israel among students in the last 10 to 15 years. “It is widespread that the word ‘Jew’ is used as a swear word and also as a threat,” he told the dpa. This triggers fear among Jewish and other students. “We hear again and again that parents of Jewish children deregister them from state schools and enroll them in Jewish schools.” In such cases, the Senate Education Administration tries to enable those affected to change schools in an unbureaucratic manner.