Germany’s government commissioner on anti-Semitism has asked Jews not to wear the kippah, a traditional cap, at all places all the time. “I cannot advise Jews to wear the kippah everywhere, all the time, in Germany,” Felix Klein told a regional press agency, according to The Guardian.

Klein’s warning came amid a spate of anti-Semitic attacks against Jews in Germany in the recent past. The government commissioner also told the press agency that he had changed his mind about the kippah.

“The internet and social media have largely contributed to this [anti-Semitic attacks], but so have constant attacks against our culture of remembrance,” Klein added. He said police, teachers and lawyers should be trained in what constitutes unacceptable behaviour towards Jews as well as “what is authorised and what is not”.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin expressed shock at Klein’s remarks, and accused the German government of ceding space to those who target Jews. “Fears about the security of German Jews are a capitulation to anti-Semitism and an admittance that, again, Jews are not safe on German soil,” he said. “We will never submit, will never lower our gaze and will never react to anti-Semitism with defeatism – and expect and demand our allies act in the same way.”

Richard Grenell, the United States envoy to Germany, also disagreed with Klein. In a tweet, he said: “The opposite is true. Wear your kippa. Wear your friend’s kippa. Borrow a kippa and wear it for our Jewish neighbors. Educate people that we are a diverse society.”

However, Josef Schuster, the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, welcomed Klein’s remarks. “It has for some time been the case that Jews in some cities potentially endanger themselves if they are visible as Jews,” he added.

As many as 1,646 hate crimes were committed against Jews in Germany in 2018, official figures show. This is an increase of 10% compared to the year before, BBC reported. Physical attacks against German Jews increased from 37 in 2017 to 62 the following year.