Sara’s Nightmare: Fear and Anxiety for Jewish Children in Berlin After the Hamas Attack
Sara’s Nightmare: Fear and Anxiety for Jewish Children in Berlin After the Hamas Attack
Blog Article
In a quiet neighborhood in East Berlin, 11-year-old Sara is struggling with the aftermath of the recent Hamas attacks on Israel. Sara and her family, originally from Israel, moved to Berlin when she was just five years old, seeking safety and a fresh start away from the constant fears that plagued her childhood in Israel. But now, after the violence in Israel, Sara’s fear is once again growing, this time in a foreign land that once felt like a sanctuary.
On Halloween, Sara, who usually embraces her childhood with innocence, went door-to-door as “Wednesday Addams” from The Addams Family, with a dark, curly hairdo that bounces as she walks. The colorful decorations of the neighborhood, with artificial cobwebs and plastic pumpkins, only serve as a reminder of a normal world that feels increasingly unsafe for her. Despite the festive surroundings, there is an underlying fear that colors her experience every day.
Sara's mother gently places a hand on her daughter’s leg as they sit down together to talk. For Sara, life in Berlin has become a balancing act between fear and normalcy. “I’m afraid to speak Hebrew when I leave home because I fear someone will hear – and then yell at me or attack me,” Sara confides. The weight of that fear has made even the simple act of speaking her native language, once a comforting bridge to her family, feel dangerous. Her anxiety has reached such a level that even speaking to her parents on the phone on her way to school, something she used to do regularly in Hebrew, now takes place in German to avoid drawing unwanted attention.
The trauma Sara carries is not new; it has been a part of her life for years. Born in Israel, she recalls how air-raid sirens used to sound, and her parents would rush to her side, pulling her out of bed in a panic. Her mother later describes Sara as an anxious child, likely shaped by the fear of living in a region so often marked by conflict. Sara’s family moved to Berlin hoping to escape this cycle, wanting to provide their children with a life free from the constant fear of bombs and violence. In Israel, the specter of violence loomed, particularly during Sara’s formative years, when the fear of terrorist attacks was ever-present. They hoped that their new life in Berlin would be different.
However, the recent war between Israel and Hamas has revived old fears, particularly for Sara. “It just sucks that my family is in Israel. I’m afraid that something might happen to them,” Sara admits. Her uncle, who volunteered for the army, is currently stationed near the Gaza Strip, adding to her anxiety. The family had planned their usual trip to Israel for the holidays, but with the escalating violence, they decided against it this time.
When asked about her school life, Sara shares that it’s generally okay. “They’re actually just fine. There’s no one there who I’m afraid of,” she says, referring to her classmates. However, the topic of the war in Israel has come up at school. “The teacher mentioned it once,” Sara recalls, but it wasn’t something she could openly discuss. When asked by her classmates what’s happening in Israel, she simply says, “I don’t know.” This response reflects the overwhelming confusion and fear that Sara feels. While she has Muslim friends, and her mother mentions that the war has not caused tension between families, the broader atmosphere of conflict has left her with an unsettling sense of isolation.
For Sara, the fear of speaking Hebrew in public is just one manifestation of the larger anxiety she feels, not only for her family’s safety but for her own well-being in an increasingly hostile world. She dreams of a life free from the anxiety that constantly hangs over her, but with the war in Israel and the rise of anti-Semitic sentiment in parts of Europe, those dreams feel elusive. Sara’s story highlights the emotional toll that Jewish children in Germany are facing in the wake of the recent violence. What was meant to be a fresh start in Berlin is now clouded by the shadows of conflict once again.
Sara's nightmare, in which she speaks Hebrew and faces verbal abuse, is a haunting reflection of the broader fears many Jewish children in Europe are experiencing today. As the world grapples with the ongoing violence in the Middle East, Sara and others like her are left to navigate a complex landscape of fear, uncertainty, and the struggle to maintain their sense of identity in a world that often feels hostile.
https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/jewish-life-in-germany-a-sudden-ominous-sense-of-insecurity-a-e21696e4-35f8-4c32-9300-f875885ef638