A Jewish woman in Germany was barred from entering a courtroom on Monday unless she removed her Star of David necklace, during the trial of a man accused of hanging an antisemitic sign banning Jews from his store.
“I had to take off my Star of David necklace and hand it over. I wasn’t even allowed to wear it under my shirt or put it in my pocket,” the woman told local media. “I don’t remember the last time I took this necklace off in my life. It’s part of my identity.”
Court spokesman Stefan Wolf said the decision was based on a judicial security order. “There was already a court security order in place stating that nothing that could disrupt order during proceedings should be brought in. During the security check, the wording was interpreted broadly by the police officers and extended to religious symbols as well.”
A local attorney said the Star of David should not have been included in the restriction. “Openly wearing a Star of David pendant is not in itself covered by the courtroom security order,” he said, adding that the rule was not interpreted “broadly” but “incorrectly,” and that officers “significantly exceeded their authority.”
Another attorney, Yuri Goldstein, said the issue goes beyond misinterpretation and amounts to a clear legal violation. He said the demand to remove the Star of David is “without question” an infringement on freedom of religion and privacy rights. He added that in the context of an antisemitism trial, the decision is “irresponsible and completely indefensible.”
On September 17, 2025, the defendant hung a poster in his shop window reading: “Entry to Jews in this area is absolutely forbidden!!!!” Beneath it he wrote: “Nothing personal. No antisemitism. I just can’t stand you.” The poster remained visible for four hours before police arrived.
The district court sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment, suspended, and ordered him to pay €1,200 to the Ladelund concentration camp memorial site. In late 1944, 300 of more than 2,000 prisoners were murdered there within just two weeks. The verdict is not yet final.