Germany: Is the safety of the Jewish community under threat? Expert opinions on Caliber.Az

According to preliminary data, around 6,000 anti-Semitic crimes were recorded in Germany in 2024, as reported by the German Ministry of the Interior. The government’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, stated that the lives of Jews in Germany are under threat.

The German Ministry of the Interior responded to a request from Bundestag member Petra Pau, who asked for detailed data on anti-Semitic crimes. The data provided indicates that 5,177 such incidents were registered by the police during the first three quarters of 2024. The figures are expected to rise, as additional reports may still be pending. By October, November, and December 2024, Tagesschau reported that the police had recorded 671 more anti-Semitic crimes, bringing the total to 5,848 incidents.

“These figures are alarming. They show that the high level of anti-Semitic incidents has persisted since 2023,” emphasized the Bundestag member.

Germany's Commissioner for Combating Anti-Semitism, Felix Klein, told Rheinische Post that "Jewish life in Germany today is under greater threat than ever since the Holocaust." In his opinion, anti-Semitic crimes "have reached an alarmingly high level and, paradoxically, are becoming increasingly 'normal'."

"Hatred of Jews is present across all layers of society," Klein clarified, linking the situation to events in the Gaza Strip.

It is certainly intriguing to consider what other factors have contributed to the rise in anti-Semitic sentiments in the country. What could explain this shift in the German public's attitude toward the Jewish community?

These questions were addressed by international experts in an interview with Caliber.Az.

Analyst, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Neue Zeiten magazine and the YouTube channel Neue Zeiten TV (Germany), Alexander Cherkassky, stated that anti-Semitism in Germany is not characteristic of the entire society.

"This attitude is mainly expressed by representatives of the multi-million-strong migrant and refugee population. Over the last 10 years, about 7 million refugees have arrived in Germany from countries like Syria, Afghanistan, and North African states.

Moreover, there is also a left-wing segment of German society that often aligns with the anti-Semitic demonstrations of migrants. Just a week ago, open calls to shoot Jews were made at a demonstration in Berlin. At a counter-protest against the AfD (Alternative for Germany) party, left-wing activists attacked a woman carrying a poster calling for the release of Israeli hostages. In my opinion, classic right-wing anti-Semitism is currently latent," notes the German analyst.

Israeli analyst and journalist Mikhail Gurevich, in turn, stated that according to data from the Anti-Defamation League (an American human rights organization opposing anti-Semitism), the number of crimes or incidents related to anti-Semitism worldwide has indeed significantly increased in 2024.

"This concerns not only Europe but also the United States, and, by the way, to a greater extent Russia, where the number of such incidents has risen by 2.5 times in just one year. And these are, in general, concerning figures.

Notably, Germany, in this context, looks relatively good according to the Anti-Defamation League’s data. The percentage of crimes remains unchanged. The incidents are mainly related to manifestations from refugees from the Middle East, who, in percentage terms, may be few, but, first of all, they are quite active, and, secondly, last year was undoubtedly marked by heightened tension from various organizations holding demonstrations against Israeli policies and the war in Gaza. At these rallies, slogans were often not limited to protests against the war but shifted into anti-Semitic, or as they modestly call it, 'anti-Zionist rhetoric,'” the analyst explained.

But overall, this certainly does not change the essence, he is confident.

"In general, anti-Semitism in the modern world is increasingly being cloaked in formulations such as anti-Israelism or anti-Zionism. Therefore, unfortunately, such incidents are becoming more frequent. It’s clear that these people don't fully understand what is being discussed, but they bring with them narratives that are prevalent and have been ingrained in them in their countries of origin. In this regard, again, if we look at the data from the Anti-Defamation League, in some Middle Eastern countries, anti-Semitism reaches levels where 95-97% of the population holds such views. So, it’s no surprise to see this rhetoric, and when these people move to more tolerant countries, more accepting of personal freedoms, they believe that freedom also includes the right to express hatred and some deep-rooted prejudices," Gurevich stated.