Rostock: Chairman of the Jewish community fears for mother in Israel

Rostock. The escalation in the Middle East, the war between Israel and Iran, is having an impact as far as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: The state's Jewish communities fear for their safety and are demanding more protective measures – including at sporting events in which Jewish clubs and athletes participate.

"I've lived in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for 30 years. But since October 7, 2023 – the Hamas terror attack against Israel – antisemitism has noticeably increased here as well. It's terrible," says Gianna Marčuk (57) from the Central Welfare Office for Jews in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (ZWST). She has already canceled her first trips due to security concerns. Many Jews in the state also fear for their relatives in Israel.

Juri Rosov (64), the chairman of the Jewish community in Rostock, speaks daily on the phone with his sister, his nephew, and his 83-year-old mother in Israel. "She lives near Tel Aviv. Rocket warnings come through three to four times a day." The elderly woman then has to take the elevator down to the ground floor – and walk 20 more steps to the shelter. It's arduous, he says. "She hardly gets any sleep anymore."

Juri Rosov, chairman of the Jewish community of Rostock, and community member Gianna Marčuk.

Source: Thorsten Czarkowski

Rosov supports the decision that Israel has attacked Iran: "It was five minutes to twelve. Iran has always said that it will wipe out Israel as soon as it has the atomic bomb."

Immediately after the first Israeli air strikes on military and nuclear facilities in Iran, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (69, CDU) announced that Jewish and Israeli facilities should be protected even more strongly.

"After October 7, 2023, the state police, together with the Jewish and Israeli communities, conducted a security assessment. These measures remain in effect," said Marie Boywitt, spokeswoman for Interior Minister Christian Pegel (51, SPD). The situation is being continuously monitored.

"We are not providing any information on the extent of the measures," the ministry stated. The Documentation and Information Center on Antisemitism in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern documented 92 antisemitic incidents last year—77 percent more than in 2023.

This is one of the reasons why the Jewish community in Rostock is working to strengthen security at its synagogue. "Construction work is nearing completion," says Juri Rosov. "We would like to see more police presence at events and services."

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There are two Jewish communities in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – in Rostock and Schwerin. According to the Central Council of Jews, they have approximately 1,200 members.

The two Jewish sports clubs are also part of community life. "We train in different gyms in Rostock and don't disclose the times. But we would feel safer if the police would visit more often," says Alexander Bondar, a spokesperson for TuS Makkabi Rostock.

The protection of Jewish life is a state objective in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (symbolic image).

Source: Jens Büttner/dpa

The club offers chess, dance, and fencing. "We also have wheelchair users who participate in sports with us. Some only leave the house with pepper spray." ZWST director Marcuk says she has already canceled a group trip: "We would have been traveling a lot on public transportation. That's too risky for us as a group at the moment." She fears that the escalation with Iran will further fuel anti-Semitism in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.