Left member on anti-Semitism: “The party is not an anti-Semitic party”

Ms. Jellinek, how did you feel after the election?

Rosa Jellinek: First of all, I was pretty relieved and happy that the Left got such a strong result. Because the city suffered under the CDU-SPD government. The Left has managed to break through with left-wing issues and, above all, with the focus on rents - something that concerns almost everyone in Berlin. I was also happy about the result because I think that Elif Eralp is an excellent candidate for the office of Governing Mayor.

Jellinek: Then came the reports about the Neukölln district association and their election party and then came the huge anti-Semitism debate.

Rosa Jellinek is a content creator and political educator. She works online and offline on the topics of Judaism & anti-Semitism, queer hostility and hate speech. On her Instagram profile @rose_ige outlooken she explains about Jewish culture, anti-Semitism and progressive and feminist issues. She is currently working as a content creator at the Jewish Museum Berlin.

taz: The allegations that there is a problem with anti-Semitism on the left and especially in the Neukölln district association are not new.

Jellinek: I have been a member of the Left myself for several years and I am Jewish, and of course I have already dealt intensively with what it means to me when individuals or groups express or take anti-Semitic positions. This situation has become even worse since October 7, 2023 and many left-wing or progressive Jews feel abandoned by the party. It is a feeling of political homelessness when one's own left-wing political camp no longer seems to take the concerns of Jews seriously. But what also bothers me now after the election is the huge double standard.

Jellinek: People act as if anti-Semitism is the big problem of the left. Although a few days ago the Chancellor described anti-Semitism as the “most perfidious form of xenophobia” and thus makes Jews the “others” who do not belong to German society, a very old anti-Semitic stereotype. Apparently not even the Chancellor has seriously addressed anti-Semitism. The debate shows: The CDU only sees anti-Semitism in others. And of course the CDU wants to reduce the left to anti-Semitism because it wants to continue to govern itself and can discredit the left in this way.

taz: Isn't it still more than that? Finally, there are also concrete anti-Semitic incidents and statements from the Left Party, such as the appearance of the rapper Dahabflex calling for the Intifada.

Jellinek: Absolutely. In no way do I want to downplay anti-Semitism among groups and individuals on the left. How parts of the party are joining forces with Islamist people is a kick in the back for Jewish people in Berlin, but also for other communities affected by Islamism. It cannot be that a rapper who calls for the Intifada appears on the left. That has to have consequences. At the same time, one should not forget that in the past the SPD, Greens and CDU also had connections to right-wing fraternities, meetings with Ditib communities or contacts with groups that are close to the gray wolves. I take the concerns and fears of Jews living here seriously and share them to a large extent. But in this debate we as Jews are being made into pawns.

taz: What should the consequences look like from your point of view?

Jellinek: It would be appropriate for those involved to resign and vacate their positions. The Left must not allow members who represent the party externally and in the Bundestag to get away with this. I also expect an appropriate review, especially in the Neukölln association, not only internally, but also with people from outside. Incidentally, I would expect this kind of reappraisal if someone had been invited who had made racist, misogynistic or anti-queer comments at a party event. It's about implementing the anti-fascist and solidarity values ​​that I believe the party represents. Incidentally, such a debate also involves listening and believing Jewish communities when they name anti-Semitism, instead of repeatedly getting lost in definition debates that ultimately aim to absolve themselves of anti-Semitism.

taz: How big is the problem of anti-Semitism in the Left Party?

Jellinek: I would say that the problem is there, but it does not guide or determine the politics of this party. It is true that, for example, the Marx21 group and other Trotskyist subgroups are trying to gain influence. And it is a problem that people in the party always protect themselves against certain people. If I weren't in the party and didn't notice how many members there care about the fight against anti-Semitism, then I would also be disappointed. And it's still me, I don't want to hide that.

Jellinek: About the lack of real processing. To do this, the party would have to involve Jewish groups, individuals and communities more and ask them what their needs are. Above all, the debate within one's own ranks must also be open-ended. My current impression is that it is primarily a matter of clearing oneself and freeing oneself from accusations of anti-Semitism, rather than dealing with it critically. I am disappointed, precisely because it is understandable to place higher demands on a party like the Left, which campaigns for human rights, than on all other parties.

taz: Despite all the criticism, you are still a party member. Why?

Jellinek: There are anti-Semitic attitudes in the party, but the party is in no way an anti-Semitic party. It is absurd when some here equate the Left with the AfD, this completely trivializes the AfD's anti-Semitism. And while everyone is now talking about anti-Semitism on the left, no one is talking about the electoral successes in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt anymore. The AfD is a racist, anti-Semitic, right-wing extremist party. The Left is a party like the rest of society and like other parties in which anti-Semitism occurs and in which these incidents are not dealt with appropriately.

taz: Asked the other way around: What is your motivation for getting involved in the Left Party, what gives you hope?

Jellinek: I'm in the party because I share many of the political positions and am of the opinion that social issues in Berlin and all of Germany are the top priority right now. There are strong currents critical of anti-Semitism in the party. I see this attitude in Elif Eralp, and also in the Federal Working Group (BAG) Shalom, which is seriously addressing the problem.

taz: What is your impression of Elif Eralp?

Jellinek: Elif has already dealt intensively with anti-Semitism with her 5-point plan, and she has spoken out clearly about incidents and attacks, for example when a woman in Mitte who was visibly wearing a Star of David was attacked with a broken bottle. She has expressed her solidarity, she shows it in words and deeds that the safety of Jewish people in Berlin is important to her and that she does not relativize anti-Semitism.

taz: What do Jews need to be safe in Berlin?

Jellinek: Anti-Semitism has always existed and always will exist. But we shouldn't just accept that. So the question is what and how much is being done to combat anti-Semitism. The fact that funds for democracy projects and education against anti-Semitism are being cut is a very bad and wrong decision. The CDU Senate's funding affair for projects critical of anti-Semitism also damaged us. At the same time, reliable protection is needed that is also securely financed. Of course, I would like to see a Berlin in which it is not necessary for children to be protected by the police and security services and to go to school behind fences. But that is not the result of anti-Semitism on the left.

taz: I have also heard from some Jewish parents in recent years that the one-sided insistence on raison d'état does not make life safer for their children in Berlin, on the contrary, it can also put them in danger because it ends up polarizing between two supposed sides. To what extent is the Left a party that could manage to counteract polarization?

Jellinek: The Left could be the party that has an integrative effect on these conflicts and questions. But: This would require a greater examination of anti-Semitism and the question of how it works. On the other hand, there is great openness for Palestinian solidarity groups and that is also important, including their criticism of police violence at Palestinian solidarity demonstrations. But just as solidarity is needed there, there is also a need for solidarity with Jews and with the realities of their lives. And this solidarity must apply regardless of whether these Jews position themselves as anti-Zionist.

Jellinek: Jews are currently being exploited from all sides to pursue the parties' own interests: be it to get into a government or to acquit themselves of anti-Semitism without having to deal with it. It's not really about Jews or anti-Semitism.

taz: How could the left do it better?

Jellinek: A real emancipatory, left-wing position would be to come together with Jewish groups and individuals now and deal with them and find out what they need. It would also be emancipatory to take a self-critical approach to criticism of the party - and to do it differently than the CDU, for example, which always sees anti-Semitism elsewhere and exploits it for racist narratives. This also includes calling Islamism and Islamist terror by name. This is possible without spreading racist narratives or trivializing Islamism. You can find a differentiated position, but only if you question your own positions and deal with your own mistakes.