With anti-Semitism on the rise, Jews told not to wear kippah in Germany

Jews in Germany have been warned not to wear kippah - a religious cap - in the face of rising attacks in the country against their community.

Felix Klien, German government's commissioner on anti-Semitism law, admitted a local media outlet in an interview that anti-Semitism sentiments continue to prevail in pockets. "I cannot advise Jews to wear the Kippah everywhere all the time in Germany. Anti-Semitism has always been here. But I think that recently, it has again become louder, more aggressive and flagrant," he said. "The internet and social media have largely contributed to this - but so have constant attacks against our culture of remembrance."

Recent months have seen several incidents where members of the Jew community have been attacked in Germany. It is reported that there has been a 20% rise in crimes against members of the community in just 2018. The presence and rise of far-right political party like Alternate for Germany (AfD) is often also seen as the reason for anti-Jew sentiments rising. Established in 2013, AfD is now the country's third-largest political party and while it has found support for its policies on Germany's role in European Union, it has also seen as a strongly nationalistic party with indirect anti-Semitism roots. Additionally, it also stands against same-sex marriage and has a strict anti-immigration outlook.