Visibility of Jewish life: Hanukkah in Neukölln

Lighting candles on the Hanukkah menorah has been a four-year tradition in Neukölln. Since December 2022, the district mayor Martin Hikel (SPD) has invited people to the Jewish Festival of Lights in the district's town hall every year. On eight evenings in a row, members of the Jewish community gradually lit the candles: on a Hanukkah, which the district, together with the Jewish education initiative Hillel, had placed clearly visible on the balcony of the town hall.

This is probably over now - but contrary to what the Bild newspaper claims, this decision was probably made independently of the left's election victory in Berlin and especially Nordneukölln. In the election there, the Left won three direct mandates with 41.2, 46.2 and 50 percent of the votes each. It was also by far the strongest force in the district assembly (BVV) with 32 percent.

Under the title "Jews withdraw their holy light because of Israel hatred," Bild quoted an email on Tuesday in which a Hillel member asked the district for a date to "remove the Hanukkah menorah from City Hall." “We want to set them on fire publicly in a neutral place,” Bild quoted the Hillel member as saying. “The shock that our Hanukkah is leaving the town hall is deep,” said the current district mayor, Martin Hikel, in the newspaper. “With her, the symbol that Jewish life is taking place again in Neukölln is leaving the district,” he said.

In a statement distributed on Wednesday evening, the Hillel association expressly opposes this reading. “We are currently monitoring the situation in Neukölln and all of Berlin with concern and attention,” writes Hillel. “Especially in times when anti-Semitism is becoming more and more present in the public, we believe it is important to take a clear stand against it.” The Hanukkah in the Neukölln town hall served exactly this function for many years: a visible sign of Jewish life in the middle of Neukölln. “Whether the candle lighting can take place in Neukölln this year depends on various factors and has not yet been decided,” the statement continues.

“Our decision to pick up the candlestick from the town hall was not a reaction to the election results – and it certainly has nothing to do with the district and the people living there,” said Dan Rattan, press spokesman for Hillel, to the taz when asked. “We are currently in a transition phase with a change in leadership and it is not unusual for event formats and partnerships to be reconsidered and reorganized.” The association has been in discussions with the district about this for a long time. The celebration in the town hall came about through personal contacts and the fact that Hillel was based in Neukölln.

The club is considering setting up the candlestick in a place that is not politically charged. And, it seems through the lines: a place where there are fewer opportunities for politicians or other actors to exploit the celebration of a Jewish festival. “I don’t have the impression that the debate is about what our needs actually are,” says Rattan. “We are an association for the community, we have no political claims,” he says.

When asked by taz, a spokesman confirmed that the district had been in contact with Hillel about this since the summer. "It was also about clarifying that the candlestick belongs to Hillel. Because at that time it was financed by Hillel and through a grant," said the spokesman. Neukölln's district mayor Martin Hikel is still in discussions with Hillel in order to continue to make Jewish life visible in the future. Despite the postponement of the festival, Hikel hopes for a publicly visible Hanukkiah in his district.

“The Berlin regional association has issued guidelines on how they want to deal with anti-Semitic violations,” says Hillel spokesman Rattan. "As far as I can see, the Left is not acting accordingly. Because things happen that violate this, but the party has not yet initiated its own procedures with ombudspersons or the state arbitration commission," he says. He believes in Elif Eralp's good will. “But I don’t see where she’s consistently implementing it,” says Rattan. And he adds: “You can only be a reliable partner if you don’t just rest on a leap of faith, but also show reliability in your actions.”