German Jewish communities report threats, vandalism, and hate speech Poll findings

Nearly half of Jewish communities in Germany have reported experiencing anti-Semitic incidents over the past year, according to a new survey by the Central Council of Jews in Germany.

The report, cited by German media, found that 46 out of 102 communities recorded cases, including insults, hate speech, threats, and vandalism in the previous 12 months. In roughly half of those incidents, the offences involved property damage or graffiti on buildings.

The survey marks the third such assessment of Jewish community leaders conducted since the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. According to the findings, 68% of Jewish communities in Germany say they feel less safe since that attack, although this represents a decrease from 84% reported in 2024.

The study also examined perceptions following the October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. For 61% of respondents, the ceasefire had no impact on the situation for Jewish communities in Germany. Meanwhile, 18% reported an improvement, while 13% said conditions had worsened.

Developments in the broader regional conflict have also influenced perceptions. The war launched by Israel and the United States against Iran in February was cited by 62% of surveyed communities as having further worsened the situation.

Josef Schuster, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said the findings indicate that a “new normal” of heightened security concerns has taken hold since October 2023.

It was “a situation in which Jewish communities must be protected permanently and anti-Semitism has become normalised as part of public life, a situation in which even graffiti openly calling for the murder of Jews in the middle of Berlin does not trigger a storm of outrage,” Schuster said.

“These conditions are untenable,” he added.

By Tamilla Hasanova