Alarmed by displays of anti-Semitism among new immigrants to Germany, a politician has offered a novel idea that appears to be gaining traction: required visits to Nazi concentration camp memorials.
The idea, proposed by Sawsan Chebli, a Berlin state legislator of Palestinian heritage, received a boost Wednesday when the leaders of Germany's Central Council of Jews and the World Jewish Congress agreed with her. "People who have fled to us who have themselves had to escape or been expelled can develop empathy in such memorials," said the council's president, Josef Schuster.
The World Jewish Congress, a leading advocacy organization that represents Jewish communities in 100 countries, also welcomed the idea.
"This proposal is an encouraging and effective method of educating people of all backgrounds about the Nazi attempt to wipe out the entire Jewish population of Europe and the dangers such hatred can yield," said Ronald Lauder, the organization's president.
Some scholars of German history described the idea as too simplistic. "You don't stop someone from being a racist or xenophobe by taking them to a concentration camp," said Sabine von Mering of the Center for German and European Studies at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. "I don't think that making it a requirement is somehow going to magically solve this problem."
It was not clear whether the German government would move to make such visits mandatory for immigrants, who are currently offered courses on German language, culture and history. But the suggestion reflected a growing concern that Germany's recent absorption of more than 1 million immigrants had created incubators of anti-Semitism.
