19 November 2007
Over 230 Jewish cemeteries were reported desecrated in Germany, between 2002 and 2006, an average of around 50 a year, according to the German ministry of the Interior. There are approximately 2,000 Jewish cemeteries in Germany.
The secretary general of the Central Council of Jews in Germany said he was shocked by the findings. The Council has on many occasions warned of a growth in anti-Semitic activity in Germany in the past years.
Gert Weisskirche, responsible for the combat against anti-Semitism for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said he now wishes to discuss various proposals with an informal group of parliamentarians, including the ideas of having an official government representative to deal with anti-Semitism, of creating a commission of enquiry, or of having an annual government report on anti-Semitism.
