‘I have never been so terrified’: Star of David graffitied on Berlin homes in echo of Nazi persecution

There has been an increase in both anti-semitic incidents since Hamas’ deadly attacks in Israel

The Star of David has been graffitied on homes in Berlin, amid concerns anti-semitism is on the rise in Europe since the Hamas massacre in Israel.

The vandalism echoes the persecution of Jewish people in the 1930s, when Nazis marked the doors of Jewish businesses to deter Germans from using them.

Police in Berlin are dealing with four cases, after pictures of graffiti were shared on social media.

“I have never been so scared to walk around the city I have spent my whole life in,” one person commenting on the tweets.

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A young Jewish woman amongst those targeted by the vandalism had a mezuzah, a collection of verses from the Torah, attached to her door frame.

She told German newspaper Bild that finding the graffiti was a “huge shock”.

“I speak Hebrew, talk in the phone in Hebrew and wear a Star of David, I really thought whether I should stay at home,” she said.

Another unnamed woman, with Jewish roots and ties to Israel, told The Times: “We are told here in Germany to trust the system, to trust in freedom and security, but I don’t know if I can.

“This is the first time since the Shoah that this is really happening in Germany. People need to understand that it is really grave when people are singled out like this. If someone wants to mark my house from the outside, putting me in danger, this is not fine.”

A police spokesperson in Berlin told the Jewish Chronicle it was investigating the damage.

“It is now the subject of our investigation to find out whether the other houses have a Jewish resident and whether the incidents are connected,” they said.

Since last weekend’s deadly Hamas attack left more than 1,300 people dead, there has been a rise in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents reported to the Met Police in London.

Three Jewish schools in the capital closed last week amid fears they would be the target of hateful attacks.

Rishi Sunak has announced £3 million in extra funding to protect schools, synagogues and other Jewish community buildings.