Applicants for German citizenship will soon have to answer questions on the Jewish religion, Israel and the Nazis, in a bid to weed out anti-Semitic candidates.
The initiative, spearheaded by interior minister Nancy Faeser, comes in response to mounting concerns over a surge in attacks on Jews in Germany.
“Anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of contempt for humanity rule out naturalisation,” Ms Faeser told Der Spiegel in its Thursday edition.
“Anyone who does not share our values cannot get a German passport,” she said. “We have drawn a crystal-clear red line here.”
In the new citizenship test, which applicants must pass to acquire German nationality, candidates could be asked the name of the Jewish place of worship, what constitutes anti-Semitic behaviour, or why Germany has a particular historical obligation to Israel.
The punishments for Holocaust denial and the legal basis for Israel’s founding would also be among the possible questions, according to the magazine, along with questions on the history of Jewish communities in Germany.
Other questions include: “Who can become a member of the approximately 40 Jewish Maccabi sports clubs?”, “Which cities have the largest Jewish communities in Germany?” and “What do the so-called Stolpersteine in Germany commemorate?”
Germany recently agreed to ease strict citizenship laws, reducing the time needed to be able to apply for a passport and making dual nationality more available – a key pledge made by Chancellor Olaf Scholz when he came to power at the end of 2021.
After it was introduced in August last year, the legislation came under scrutiny following Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel and in the context of a rise in anti-Semitic incidents in Germany.
In addition to a commitment to the constitution, applicants will now also be required to commit to protecting Jewish life in Germany.
Under normal conditions, candidates will be able to apply for citizenship after five years in Germany, as opposed to eight previously.
Those who are particularly well-integrated and have very good German language skills will be able to obtain nationality after just three years.
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