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Anti-Semitism: What the Nemi El-Hassan Case Can Teach Us – Media – Society

The Causa Nemi El-Hassan is, yes, where did it end up? Apparently in a stalemate that offers no solution. As evidenced by the last radio council meeting on Westdeutscher Rundfunk, the positions are as clear as they are controversial. The representative of the German Initiative for the Middle East, Jürgen Bremer, was able to raise two prominent, weighty voices with the anti-Semitism researcher Moshe Zimmermann and the former Israeli ambassador to Germany, Avi Primor. Her expertise shows that what the journalist interprets as anti-Semitism is definitely shared by left-wing Israelis.

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Isabella Farkas, who sits on the supervisory body for Jewish communities, pointed out that El-Hassan had, among other things, liked a post about the breakout of convicted terrorists from an Israeli prison. “I was in Israel at the time, the country was in shock,” she said. With a view to El-Hassan, she said: “People with such an attitude may not have a place in any format of public broadcasting, let alone become the face of WDR.”

El-Hassan will not moderate “Quarks”

What is certain so far: Nemi El-Hassan will not be able to carry out the task intended for her, namely to moderate the WDR science magazine “Quarks”. It seems possible to work in the editorial office.
Which of these is true? The future should show it, somehow. Tom Buhrow, director of the WDR, said again: “A difficult, difficult consideration”. Indeed, it must be found that a journalist of Palestinian origin is employed by the WDR.
Can something groundbreaking grow out of the decision? Nemi El-Hassan’s family came to Germany from the West Bank in 1991, anything other than rejection, even hatred of Israel, would be a surprise. Yes, El-Hassan took part in one of these clearly anti-Semitic Al-Kuds demonstrations and distanced himself from it. Skepticism has arisen as to whether this rejection was meant sincerely. Likes were later known, from criticism to Israel, which the journalist deleted.

Several problems intertwine

The dilemma with this person is considerable, because several perspectives, even problems, are intertwined. When and under which biographical signs is a person allowed to work on public broadcasting in Germany? Anti-Semites certainly not, that is undisputed in the face of and in recognition of German history.
One would almost like to thank the anti-Semites, who are crystal clear anti-Semites, because the judgment is so easy. It is all the more difficult with El-Hassan. Who would like to block a career path for a young journalist forever? German society is becoming more diverse, more and more people will live and work here with a migrant background or foreground, and want to live and work here. Should an attitude test now be made for upright, anti-Semitic German being? Germany a country that distributes the chances according to origin and attitude? In this case: Is a kosher Germany a better, even the best Germany ever?
A Germany that combats anti-Semitism in terms of content, structure and personnel is the right Germany. This is easy to write down, and in individual cases, as with Nemi El-Hassan, is only the direction for the path, at the end of which a decision can appear.

No basis for decision-making

In other words, assessments like those by Primor and Zimmermann are helpful, but not to the point where they can become the sole basis for decision-making. Not these Israelis and Jews, not the Central Council of Jews in Germany, can become an authority, for the weighty reason that non-Jewish Germans have to decide for themselves, in this case the WDR and its director Tom Buhrow. That is their responsibility and everyone’s responsibility, it cannot be delegated.
The respect for Jews and the Central Council dictates that a public broadcaster come to an advice from its own resources. A “difficult, difficult consideration”, Tom Buhrow is right, but trusting the apparent behavior, namely putting the decision on the back burner, will not get caught. The next case, Nemi El-Hassan, is sure to come. If you don’t decide now, you will be overwhelmed tomorrow.

Broadcaster and broadcaster boss

A public broadcaster and its boss, it is they who are called to report. You owe that to your potential employee, who will hopefully make a massive contribution to the elucidation.
And those responsible owe it to the public, who have to ask and answer this question for themselves: What are we prepared to accept in this field of terms? The label “anti-Semite” is reassuringly and alarmingly quickly distributed, but it needs a sound, convincing explanation in every case, especially in a case like Nemi El-Hassan or the gag author Yasmin Ayhan, who is employed by ZDF.
Because each of these arguments runs the risk of being misunderstood as relativization, this clarification: Established anti-Semitism is a no-go. Established anti-Semitism, not alleged.

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