Some 25 Jews and Muslims from Berlin and surrounding areas rode tandem bicycles through the German capital on Sunday in a protest against growing anti-Semitism and attacks on Muslims in the country.
Among the cyclists sharing bikes on the ride through Berlin were rabbis and imams. There were also women in headscarves and Jewish men with skullcaps. The ride started at Berlin's Holocaust memorial.
Rabbi Elias Dray, a community rabbi in the Bavarian town of Amber who was one of the organizers of the interfaith tour, said it was intended to boost contacts between Jews and Muslims and other Germans.
"There's often prejudice in places where there's little contact," Dray said. "Anywhere it's a big gain to get to know Judaism and Islam."
He rode a tandem bicycle with Berlin Imam Ender Cetin. They and others wore white vests with the words "Jews and Muslims for respect and tolerance."
In addition to the 25 interfaith cyclists, dozens of people joined the tour in a show of solidarity.
Anti-Semitism has been on the rise in Germany lately, while attacks on Muslims have increased.
The rising tensions come as Germany grapples with an influx of more than a million mostly Muslim migrants, along with the rise of the nationalist Alternative for Germany party, which was elected to parliament last year for the first time. The party's leaders are known for their openly anti-Muslim stance. Anti-Semitism has also featured in their sentiments, but less often.
To further complicate matters, some of the newly arrived Muslim migrants have added a new strain of anti-Semitism by holding Jews responsible for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Reports of bullying of Jewish children by Muslim immigrant children in schools across the country have scared many Jews. At the same time, Muslim women often report slurs and discrimination against them for wearing headscarves.
Despite the tensions, "the majority of Muslims and Jews want to live peacefully together," Cetin said.
"It must become a natural thing that we live together in this city and that we can be able to express our religion openly," he said.
