Sara was born in Israel, but her parents moved to Germany when she was five, hoping for a safer life. “As a teenager in Israel, you live in fear that someone will blow up the bus on the way to school,” her mother explains. They wanted to give Sara and her siblings a different childhood, one without the constant fear of war and violence.
But even in Berlin, fear has found its way into Sara’s life.
Fear of Speaking Hebrew
Sitting at the living room table, Sara clutches her pink smartphone while her mother gently places a hand on her knee to stop her from rocking her leg anxiously. When asked about her experience in the city, Sara hesitates before finally admitting:
"I'm afraid to speak Hebrew when I leave home because I fear someone will hear—and then yell at or attack me."
She struggles to find the right words to describe that fear. But it is ever-present, shaping the way she navigates her daily life. Once, she would talk to her parents in Hebrew while commuting to school on the subway. Now, they only speak in German.
Her mother looks at her and says, “You have a lot of dreams.”
Sara nods. “Yes, but I sometimes have nightmares too.”
What kind of nightmares?
"That I speak to my mother in Hebrew and then someone starts insulting me or something."
It is a heartbreaking confession from an 11-year-old child—one who should not have to worry about hiding her language or identity to feel safe.
Longing for Family and Safety
Despite moving to Berlin for security, Sara’s family remains deeply connected to Israel. Every year, they travel back to visit relatives. This year, they had already booked their tickets for the holidays. But after the attack on October 7, they canceled their plans.
Sara’s uncle, her mother’s brother, has volunteered for the army and is now stationed near the Gaza Strip. The thought of him being in danger adds to her anxiety.
"It just sucks that my family is in Israel. I'm afraid that something might happen to them."
She is not alone in her worries. Many Jewish families in Germany now find themselves reevaluating what safety truly means.
Navigating School Life
At school, things feel normal—for now.
"There’s no one there who I’m afraid of," Sara says.
But when asked if her class has discussed the war in Israel, she gives a simple response:
"The teacher mentioned it once."
Her mother adds that Sara’s three closest friends are Muslim girls, and fortunately, the war and the tensions in Berlin have not affected their friendships.
Sara has developed her own strategy for avoiding difficult conversations. When classmates ask her about what’s happening in Israel, she simply shrugs and says:
"I don’t know."
A Childhood Marked by Fear
Sara’s story is not unique. Across Germany, Jewish children and their families are feeling an increased sense of vulnerability. For a child who was moved to Berlin in hopes of a safer future, it is devastating that fear has followed her here.
The nightmares, the hesitation to speak Hebrew in public, the canceled trips to see loved ones—these are not things an 11-year-old should have to worry about. Yet, for Sara and many others, this is their reality.
https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/jewish-life-in-germany-a-sudden-ominous-sense-of-insecurity-a-e21696e4-35f8-4c32-9300-f875885ef638