President Steinmeier urges Germany to combat antisemitism — Tagesschau

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, speaking at a ceremony at the Buchenwald memorial complex near Weimar marking the anniversary of the Nazi pogroms of November 1938, emphasized the country’s historical responsibility. He said he was outraged by the growing number of violent incidents against Jews in Germany, Tagesschau reports.

Call to counter hatred

Steinmeier noted that hatred of Jews must be opposed regardless of its origins — whether it comes from political extremism on the right or left, from within society, or from Islamism. According to him, both the democratic rule-of-law state and society bear responsibility for this.

The president called the revival of Jewish life in Germany a great gift. At the same time, he said he was deeply ashamed that Jews are once again being insulted, threatened and physically attacked on German streets and squares.

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Crimes increased after Hamas attack

Steinmeier said that the number of antisemitic crimes following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, had risen to a record level, and that synagogues require enhanced protection. At the same time, he expressed confidence in the resilience of Germany’s rule-of-law state and urged people not to lose vigilance.

The federal government’s commissioner for antisemitism, Katharina von Schnurbein, said that Jews in Germany increasingly feel unsafe and hesitate over whether to wear the Star of David openly. She stressed that holding Jews responsible for the situation in the Middle East is dangerous. In her view, criticism of the Israeli government is legitimate, but demonizing Israel or denying the state’s right to exist is antisemitism.

The November 1938 pogroms were mass acts of violence against Jews and Jewish institutions in the German Reich organized by the Nazi regime. According to various estimates, between 400 and 1,300 people were killed or driven to suicide from November 7 to 13, while about 30,000 Jews were deported to concentration camps.