German journalist Fabian Wolff posed as a Jew, even though he has no Jewish ancestry. The case is making waves in Germany.
In Germany between 1933 and 1945, no one wanted to appear Jewish.
After the Second World War, however, the situation changed. Many Nazi descendants as well as ordinary Germans unexpectedly discovered their Jewish ancestry, write Jüdische Algemeine, the most widely circulated Jewish newspaper in Germany.
Those who invented a Jewish identity for themselves were given a mocking name: Kostümjude, i.e. a Jew dressed in a costume.
In July, the appointment became topical again in Germany.
German reporter Fabian Wolff said the weekly newspaper Die Zeit published no less than 70,000 characters in a long essaythat he is not Jewish.
Wolff had become known as a sharp critic of German Jews and Israel. He had written several essays about his Jewish identity and participated in the social debate as a Jew.
The reception of Wolff’s revelation was crushing.
Managing Director of Jüdische Algemeine Philipp Peyman Engel characterized Wolff’s expository essay as a tearful alternation “between self-love and sacrifice.” According to Engel, it was particularly problematic that Wolff did not apologize for his actions.
According to Wolff, he had heard about his Jewish ancestry at the age of 18 from his now deceased mother. The journalist began to investigate the matter again when conflicting information about his Jewishness began to circulate in the fall of 2021.
That’s when Wolff’s ex-girlfriend sent a letter to the editors of several German newspapers, in which she said she suspected Wolff’s Jewishness.
According to Wolff, based on the investigation he ordered, it was revealed that he has no Jewish ancestry.
Wolff’s explanation has been considered implausible. In some in the German media Wolff’s Jewish identity has been called completely fabricated.
The fact that Wolff had previously said that he grew up in a Jewish environment speaks for a conscious lie or at least a misrepresentation, but in his revealing essay he said that he only heard about his Judaism when he was 18 years old.
Zeit magazine, however tells having seen and verified emails in which Wolff’s mother writes about the family’s Jewish roots.