The Anti-Semitic Commissioner of a major German city has criticized the ongoing Israeli occupation, criticizing the ongoing Israeli occupation and in the process threatening the future of his life and career with a Jewish artist and photographer. We are launching a campaign focused on homes.
Hamburg’s first anti-Semitism commissioner, Stephan Hensel, has accused Adam Bloomberg, a Jewish photographer who grew up in South Africa and now lives in Berlin, of being a “repeated slanderer”. [Israel] The commissioner also claimed that the artist “seems to hate Israel” and “does not hesitate to justify terrorism against Jews”.
Hensel was appointed to the post for a three-year term in July 2021 after serving as chairman of the German-Israeli Association in Hamburg, where he advocated for Bloomberg’s boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign against occupied Israeli products. denounced the involvement of The Palestinian territory, which the Commissioner also branded as “anti-Semitic.”
Speaking in an interview with an American art magazine hypersensitivityBloomberg wrote, “It is utterly ironic for an anti-Semitic commissioner that his first and most violent and forceful attack be carried out against the Jews, endangering their lives and occupations.” Hansel’s campaign and comments are rooted in an “extremely right-wing, Zionist and racist perspective,” the artist said.
Read: Forget the rhetoric of freedom, Germany oppresses all who stand in solidarity with Palestine
Bloomberg revealed, “I just buried my mother who knew about the Holocaust, and when she came back she was accused of being a hateful anti-Semite who advocated terrorism against Jews.” I couldn’t be more Jewish, it affected me a lot.”
After the commissioner’s targeted campaign against him, the artist has been subjected to “non-stop” negative messages on social media, notably in a series of racist attacks and featured at the art exhibition documenta 15. He feels physically unsafe after the vandalism of the site. Year.
Bloomberg also fears for his career and future, he added, because Germany’s cultural and educational institutions are largely public, and the Anti-Semitism Commission’s office is a department of the German state. As it stands, I am an anti-Semite and a terrorist, so I cannot get a job as a teacher or work as an artist in a cultural institution,” he lamented.
Hensel’s supposed crusade against Jewish artists and views branded as anti-Semitic have led the German authorities in recent years to increasingly crack down on pro-Palestinian advocacy and activist expressions, and to hold frequent protests against the Israeli occupation. It occurred during the period when it is prohibited to do so.
Berlin also strongly supports and embodies the European Union’s (EU) stance that calling Israel an apartheid state is defined as anti-Semitic. German news outlets liaise directly with Israel on their codes of conduct and fire journalists and employees who express views against Israel. Occupation of Tel Aviv.
Read: “What Happened to Antisemitism?”: Notes in a Conversation with Antony Rahman
