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ANTI-SEMITISIM

Anti-Semitic church carving can stay, German court rules

Germany's highest court on Tuesday rejected a case calling for a local church associated with Protestant firebrand Martin Luther to remove an ancient anti Semitic carving from its wall.

Judensau Stadtkirche Wittenberg
The anti-semitic 'Judensau' carving on the site of the famous Wittenberg Stadtkirche. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Hendrik Schmidt

Widely known as the “Judensau” (Jews’ sow), the 13th-century bas relief on the church in eastern German town Wittenberg depicts a rabbi peering into a pig’s anus, while other figures suckle milk from its teats.

The hateful symbolism is that Jews obtain their sustenance and scripture from an unclean animal.

A local Jewish man had appealed to the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe after a local court rejected his claim that the sculpture was insulting to Jews and should be removed.

Although the court agreed that the content of the carving was offensive, it found that the church had taken sufficient steps to counter this by installing a memorial and information board.

READ ALSO: Anti-Semitism ‘massive problem’ in Germany, says Jewish leader on terror attack anniversary

The carving was “anti-Semitism carved in stone”, the court said, but the memorial and information board had enabled “clarification and a discussion of the content… in order to counter exclusion, hatred and defamation”.

The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, said the ruling was “understandable”.

However, he said he disagreed with the court’s reasoning insofar as “in my opinion, neither the memorial nor the information board contain an unambiguous condemnation of the anti-Semitic artwork”.

“Both the Wittenberg church community and churches as a whole must find a clear and appropriate solution for dealing with sculptures that are hostile to Jews,” he added.

Luther’s legacy

Many churches in the Middle Ages had similar “Judensau” carvings, which were also aimed at sending the stark message that Jews were not welcome in their communities.

Another example can be seen at the world-famous Cologne cathedral.

But the importance of the Wittenberg relief is tied to Luther, himself a notorious anti-Semite, who preached there two centuries later.

It was in Wittenberg that Luther is said to have nailed his 95 theses to another church’s door in 1517, leading to a split with the Roman Catholic Church and the birth of Protestantism.

The theologian argued that Christians could not buy or earn their way into heaven, but only entered by the grace of God, marking a turning point in Christian thinking.

But Luther also came to be linked to Germany’s darkest history, as his later sermons and writings were marked by anti-Semitism — something that the Nazis would  later use to justify their brutal persecution of the Jews.

The court’s decision not to order the relief to be removed can still be appealed to Germany’s constitutional court.

READ ALSO: German hotel workers probed after singer’s anti-Semitism claim

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ANTI-SEMITISM

‘Special responsibility’: Why Germany is shaking up citizenship test questions

As part of its efforts to crack down on anti-Semitism, the German Interior Ministry will add multiple questions on Israel, the Holocaust and Germany's 'historic responsibility' to the citizenship test.

'Special responsibility': Why Germany is shaking up citizenship test questions

Almost everyone who goes through the naturalisation process in Germany has to pass what’s known as a citizenship test, or Einbürgerungstest. This German-language exam contains 33 questions that are selected from a catalogue of 300 general questions, plus 10 questions related to your home state.

The topics cover everything from German history, politics and the German way of life, and applicants have to get at least 17 questions right in order to pass.

Soon, however, the topics will get even broader. According to reports in German news magazine Der Spiegel, the Interior Ministry has drafted 12 new questions that they want to add to the test in the near future, tackling the prevalent issue of anti-Semitism and Germany’s relationship with Israel.  

These new questions will be made official by a new ordinance from the Ministry of Interior, and will then be added to the range of questions that can be selected as part of the 33-question test.

The list of questions revolve around Germany’s Jewish community, with topics such as the Holocaust, anti-Semitism and the history of Israel all set to be included in the test. 

One question, for example, asks how long ago the first Jews arrived in what is today known as Germany, while another questions how Holocaust denial is punished in Germany. 

To see the full list of questions obtained by Spiegel, see our explainer below:

REVEALED: The new questions being added to Germany’s citizenship test

Why is Germany adding new questions to the citizenship test?

Since the terrorist group Hamas carried out its brutal attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7th, 2023, anti-Semitism has been firmly in the spotlight in Germany. 

As well as clamping down on pro-Palestinian demonstrators, the German government has been under pressure to tighten up its citizenship rules in order to prevent anti-Semites becoming naturalised as Germans.

This was one of the key issues that held up Germany’s sweeping reform of citizenship rules in autumn last year.

Politicians from the right-wing CDU and CSU parties have repeatedly argued that anti-Semitism was “imported” into Germany by Turkish and Arab communities, and have called for anti-Semites to be stripped of citizenship and barred from ever obtaining it.

In response, the government opted to give citizenship offices new powers to contact public prosecutors and investigate whether crimes committed by foreigners had any racist or anti-Semitic motives.

READ ALSO: Could Germany strip citizenship rights from foreigners over anti-Semitism?

The coalition also pointed to a clause contained in the new law that is designed to exclude people who commit “racist, anti-Semitic and dehumanising acts” from naturalising as Germans. This represents a significant tightening of the law, they argued.

Alexander Throm Bundestag

CDU politician Alexander Throm gives an impassioned speech in the Bundestag during a debate on the new citizenship law. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Marco Rauch

Speaking to Spiegel on Tuesday, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) revealed that the new citizenship questions were designed with the same aim in mind.

“Our special responsibility to protect Jews and the state of Israel stems from the German crime against humanity of the Holocaust,” she said. “This responsibility is part of our identity today.”

Anyone who wants to become German must know “what this means and acknowledge Germany’s responsibility” and must make this commitment “clear and credible”.

That is why the naturalisation test is now being changed in line with the law on citizenship, Faeser explained. 

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