German officials condemn shop owner who banned Jews from entry to protest Israel

A shop owner in Flensburg, a northern German city, posted a sign declaring that Jews were banned from entering his store, triggering swift condemnation from Schleswig-Holstein officials. The store sells Gothic utensils and technical literature.

Hans-Velten Reisch, 60, told Bild that he posted the sign after watching the Gaza conflict unfold; he said, "I watch the news every evening. And when I saw what the Jews were doing in the Gaza Strip, I lost my temper and printed out the poster." Police told him to remove the sign on Wednesday.

Dorit Stenke, Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister of Culture, and Gerhard Ulrich, the state’s antisemitism commissioner, issued a joint statement condemning the sign on the state government’s website. Stenke said, "A sign that denies Jews access to a store is a frightening signal and an attack on the principles of our free coexistence." She added that the state cannot allow such things to continue and must take decisive action against antisemitism, for which she insisted it is a threat to democracy. Ulrich echoed the call for vigilance, stating, "We must stand together against every form of antisemitism," and that the fight against antisemitism is a special responsibility Germans bear.

The State Prosecutor’s Office in Flensburg opened an investigation into incitement of hatred, and Ulrich filed a criminal complaint against Reisch. Bild reported that five criminal complaints had been filed in connection with the incident. Ulrich described the antisemitic rhetoric as not only harmful to those targeted but also a disruption of public peace, saying the incident was "fatally reminiscent of the Nazi hate speech against Jews." The growing concern over antisemitism in Schleswig-Holstein has Officials pointing to recent data.

Schleswig-Holstein documented 588 antisemitic incidents in 2024, a rise of about 390 percent compared with 2023, underscoring a broader pattern that officials say requires ongoing attention and action. Ulrich has himself been at the center of controversy; critics have argued that he has at times contributed to anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiments from his prior role as the Protestant Church’s bishop for northern Germany. In December 2022, Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center criticized Ulrich and urged the state government to reconsider his position, arguing that he was unfit to denounce antisemitism while allegedly legitimizing anti-Jewish rhetoric.

The Flensburg case highlights ongoing challenges in addressing antisemitism in Germany, where officials say the line between political expression and hateful conduct must be clearly enforced to protect democratic norms. As investigations proceed, regional leaders say they will continue to monitor and address antisemitic incidents and rhetoric wherever they occur, emphasizing that intolerance has no place in a free society.