People fear wearing Jewish symbols and are forced to order pizza under fake names, the anti-Semitism commissioner has said
The living conditions of the Jewish population in Germany have sharply deteriorated over the two years of the Gaza conflict, the German government’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, said on Tuesday
The remarks coincided with the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 incursion into Israel by Palestinian armed group Hamas, in which 1,200 people were killed and about 250 others taken hostage.
The Israeli offensive in Gaza in response to the attack has left more than 67,000 people dead and upwards of 170,000 injured, according to the Palestinian health authorities. West Jerusalem’s actions have sparked major protests around the world, including in Germany and other Western Europe countries, while a UN commission last month described what is happening in Gaza as “genocide.”
During an appearance on ARD’s ‘Morgenmagazin,’ Klein said he was “ashamed” that “the quality of life of the Jewish population is extremely limited” in Germany at the moment. He said people fear wearing Jewish symbols in public and are forced to order pizza under false names to avoid abuse or aggression.
The number of anti-Semitic crimes in Germany has reached “record levels” since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, the commissioner noted.
Germans have the right to protest against the Israeli military operation in Gaza, but it should not lead to hatred and violence against Jews, he argued.
Also on Tuesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the country “experienced a new wave of anti-Semitism which shows itself in both old and new forms: on social media, at universities, on our streets.”
Merz said that as someone who grew up after the Second World War he had learned well the lessons of the Holocaust with the promise of “Never again,” and called on the public to unite to “ensure that Jews can live here in Germany with confidence and without fear.”
In June, the Federal Research and Information Point for Antisemitism (RIAS) reported that the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Germany nearly doubled last year. The RIAS reported 8,627 instances of violence, vandalism and threats against Jews in 2024, compared to 4,886 in 2023.
