Berlin Mayor Visits Bat Yam to Apologize for Attack by Hamas Supporter
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner visited Bat Yam Mayor Zvika Brot in Israel to apologize for a Hamas supporter's attack last year, marking a powerful moment of solidarity and historical closure.
Moments like this do not happen every day in local and international politics: the Mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, landed in Israel with a surprisingly unusual destination: the office of the Mayor of Bat Yam, Zvika Brot. The goal? A personal, charged, and deeply painful closure.
The story began about a year ago, when Brot visited the German capital as part of the twin-city alliance that Bat Yam has maintained with Berlin's Neukölln district for decades. During a speech delivered by Brot in the local parliament, a council member and Hamas supporter named Ahmad Abed interrupted him, shouting "genocide" at the Israeli mayor and even attempting to physically attack him.
"Right there, on German soil"
For Brot, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, the situation was deeply unsettling: "To hear something like that, right there, on German soil, is something that stays with you," he shared this week. "Of course, we were not shaken. I continued my speech and told him from the stage that in Israel and Germany he can try to disrupt speeches, but good luck trying to do that in Gaza." However, the incident was not forgotten.
This week, the Mayor of Berlin arrived in Israel to mark the events of October 7 and insisted on traveling specifically to Bat Yam to personally apologize to Brot for that shameful incident. "He expressed deep sorrow and emphasized that this is not the way of the German people, most of whom support Israel," Brot said with emotion. "We hear so many infuriating things coming from Europe and a discourse of hatred, and therefore it is especially important to recognize such a leader, who chose to come here and be with us."
Historical closure
During the meeting, Brot presented his guest with a symbolic Hanukkah menorah. "I explained to him its meaning for us: adding light to the world. And that is exactly what he is doing through his actions," Brot said.
Concluding his remarks, the mayor emphasized the deep historical significance of the moment: "As the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, I do not take this meeting for granted. My grandparents did not have a state to protect them. Their grandson now stands at the head of a major city in Israel and hosts the Mayor of Berlin here. We have a home of our own, and we do not need to apologize to anyone for being Jewish. We will fight our enemies without fear, but we will always welcome our friends here with open arms."