Merz calls protecting Jewish community a test for Germany — Jerusalem Post

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said during a speech at the Ohel Jakob Synagogue in Munich that the country is being tested by its commitment to protecting the Jewish community. He delivered the speech on November 9, the anniversary of the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom, the Jerusalem Post reports.

Protection of Jewish life

Merz called it horrifying that kindergartens and synagogues are protected with bulletproof glass and armed police. According to him, antisemitism has become ubiquitous: it is found on the streets, in cities, parliaments, clubs and schools in Germany, other European countries and around the world.

The chancellor said his government would do everything possible to protect Jewish life in Germany and beyond its borders. He also reiterated Germany’s longstanding support for Israel, calling it part of the country’s historical responsibility.

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Incident data

According to the latest annual report by the RIAS monitoring group, 8,725 antisemitic incidents were recorded last year. This is more than three times the 2022 figure and amounts to approximately 24 cases every day. RIAS noted that since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in 2023, such incidents have occurred on a dramatic scale.

Bavaria’s parliament speaker Ilse Aigner said that the sense of insecurity among many Jews in Germany is a disgrace for the country. Kristallnacht, which began on November 9, 1938, was accompanied by the murder of Jews, looting and the destruction of synagogues, shops and homes.