Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Monday 25 June 2018

Jews, Muslims in Berlin team

up on bike rides against hatred

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER women in headscarves faith-bikers, dozens of peo-
Associated Press and Jewish community ple joined the bicycle tour
BERLIN (AP) — Some 25 members donning skull- through Berlin’s downtown
Jews and Muslims rode caps from Berlin and be- in a show of solidarity.
tandem bicycles through yond who shared the bikes Anti-Semitism has been on
the German capital on on a tour through the city. the rise in Germany lately
Sunday in a protest against Rabbi Elias Dray, one of and while attacks on Mus-
growing anti-Semitism and the organizers of the ride lims have increased.
attacks on Muslims in the that started at Berlin’s Ho- The rising tensions come as
A Muslim and a Jewish man rides a tandem together during a country. locaust memorial, said the Germany grapples with an
bicycle tandem tour of Jews and Moslems against anti-Semitism Some were rabbis and interfaith tour was intended influx of more than 1 mil-
and hatred of Muslims in Berlin, Sunday, June 24, 2018. imams, others included to boost contacts between lion mostly Muslim migrants,
Associated Press Jews and Muslims and oth- along with the rise of a na-
er Germans. tionalist party, the Alterna-
“There’s often prejudice in tive for Germany, which
places where there’s little was elected to Parliament
contact,” said Dray, who last year for the first time. Its
works as a community rab- leaders are known for their
bi in the Bavarian town of openly anti-Muslim stance,
Amberg. “Anywhere it’s a while anti-Semitism has
big gain to get to know Ju- also featured in their state-
daism and Islam.” ments, but less often.
He rode a tandem togeth- To further complicate
er with Berlin Imam Ender things, some of the newly
Cetin. They and others arrived Muslim migrants
wore white vests with the have added a new strain
words: “Jews and Muslims of anti-Semitism by hold-
for respect and tolerance.” ing Jews responsible for the
In addition to the 25 inter- Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Police: 25 injured in building

explosion in Germany

BERLIN (AP) — Twenty-five eas of the structure, while
people were injured, four firefighters had trouble
of them severely, during an dousing the flames ceilings,
explosion that destroyed walls and floors kept col-
an apartment building in lapsing.
the western German city They located four severe-
of Wuppertal, police said ly injured people in the
Sunday. wreckage who were hospi-
Police said the explosion talized, according to dpa.
produced a large bang Another 21 were treated at
and rocked the multi-story the scene for less serious in-
building shortly before mid- juries.
night Saturday, frightening Some of the building’s roof
people nearby so badly beams stood black and
they ran out into the streets. eerie in the smoke as police
The cause and nature of scoured accessible parts
the explosion was under in- of the building for anyone
vestigation, German news who might trapped inside
agency dpa reported. The before giving the all-clear.
blast had so much force Where the building stood
it destroyed the attic and is now a huge gap in a
top three floors of the build- row of apartment build-
ing, dpa said. ings in the city’s Langerfeld
Fires broke out in several ar- neighborhood.q