Questions added to citizenship test on antisemitism, Israel and Germany's responsibility towards Jewish people

Applicants for German citizenship will be required to explicitly affirm Israel’s right to exist under a new citizenship law which came into effect on Tuesday.

The new law shortened the number of years that a person must have lived in Germany in order to obtain a passport, from eight to five years. It will also allow first-generation migrants to be dual citizens.

As part of the shake-up, new questions were added to the country’s citizenship test, including about Judaism and Israel’s right to exist.

  • Successful_Try543English
    2·
    6 months ago

    The definition used by German authorities subsumes antizionism, i.e. denying Israel’s right to exist as a special form of antisemitism.

    • poVoq@slrpnk.netMEnglish
      10·
      6 months ago

      It is quite reductive to say anti-zionism is just denying the right of Israel to exist. Yes, the state of Israel is a deeply zionist project but you can accept the reality of this state existing and still be opposed to the idea of zionism in general.

      I am opposed to the idea of colonialism in general but still accept the existence of states with a colonial history.

      • Successful_Try543English
        3·
        6 months ago

        That’s a good point. I’ve always thought antizionism and denying Israel’s right to exist where somehow identical.