Jews in Germany face antisemitism surge since Oct. 7 attacks

The synagogue of Rabbi Dovid Roberts' Jewish community in Berlin was targeted in an attempted arson attack in October 2023, a few days after the Hamas terror attacks on Israel. Police officers now guard the complex around the clock.

When DW asked Roberts whether he has personally experienced antisemitism, this was the first thing he pointed out. He added that he is more on alert traveling between home and the synagogue and avoids certain streets.

And once, shortly after October 7, 2023, a small stone hit him on the neck. "I winced in shock, but when I turned around, I couldn't see anyone," he said.

Roberts is grateful for the protection of the synagogue, emphasizing the support from German officials. The area surrounding the complex is "wonderful" and very vibrant. But it has also been a frightening time for some. And, yes, "'many in the congregation are very afraid." 

Jewish life in Germany after the terror attacks by Hamas against Israelis a life filled with worry. Many Jewish people wear a baseball cap out in public rather than a yarmulke, and avoid other outward signs that make them stand out as Jews. It's a view echoed by members of Roberts' congregation, Kahal Adass Jisroel. When, on a recent Sunday, they paraded through the streets with a new Torah scroll, the whole thing looked like an event in a high-security zone.

Rapid increase in antisemitic incidents

According to the RIAS reporting and support network, there was a rapid increase in the number of antisemitic incidents in Germany following the events of October 7, 2023. In 2022, RIAS counted an average of seven per day. The average since October 7 is 32.

These incidents include graffiti on homes, anti-Jewish slogans at demonstrations and open hostility on the streets, as well as arson attacks and assaults. According to the latest data from RIAS, the incident rate remains high.

During a recent conference hosted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin, Jewish students from several universities shared their experiences: open agitation against Jews and Israel, and a lack of support from university management.

It was important for them to emphasize that the pressure was mostly coming from German or Western students, not from Palestinians. At the end of their conversation, the participants asked not to be named or photographed — a result of the past year's events.

The mood within the Jewish community is far from united. Many Jews are critical of the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, whose cabinet also includes right-wing extremists. Jewish representatives take part in critical debates and hope for fresh elections in Israel. On occasion, artists use their platforms to criticize Israeli policies.

But whether rabbi or student — they see how criticism of Israel and antisemitism find common ground. Rabbi Roberts reported a shift in the general mood, saying that hatred toward Jews can be found in Islamic settings, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party and far-left circles.

Is this typical for Berlin? Is it only a big city phenomenon? Jewish facilities are under police protection throughout Germany. In the city of Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt, which has only 230,000 inhabitants, a new synagogue opened in December 2023, 85 years after its predecessor was destroyed by the Nazis. It's one of three new synagogues to have opened nationwide during the past year — a long-running project for the congregation launched in 1999.

In contrast to Berlin or Cologne, visitors to the Magdeburg facility will not see anti-Israel graffiti or the red triangle symbol of Hamas. Yes, said Maria Schubert, so far there have not been any attacks or graffiti targeting the synagogue. However, since it opened, a shipping container across the street has served as a "mobile police station" with one or two police vehicles parked there most of the time.

The 46-year-old Schubert, who is herself Jewish, assists the local community board and leads visitors through the new building. She has noticed "increasingly, that the conversations in my circle of friends are changing or falling silent."

"People who have always been pro-Israel are becoming more and more critical," she told DW. There is a lack of differentiation between Judaism in Germany and the state of Israel. Schubert said images of antisemitic or anti-Israel demonstrations frightened her. It was "disconcerting when people, whether Muslim immigrants or Germans, who had never been to Israel and do not know the challenges there, become radicalized."

Concern among the elderly

Outright cases of hatred toward Jews receive media attention and attract publicity. But there are other aspects that are harder to quantify.

In a recent publication, the leader of the social services department for the Central Welfare Board of Jews in Germany (ZWST), Ilya Daboosh, described the consequences for older Jews who came to Germany from the former Soviet Union.

October 7 and its aftermath "awakened many associations and memories: their experiences as Jews in the Soviet Union, shaped by pogroms, systematic discrimination and Soviet, anti-Zionist propaganda," Daboosh said. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, then the Hamas terror attacks, there has been a "succession of worry, tension, isolation and helplessness."

Abraham Lehrer, the president of ZWST who also helps lead the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said the organization has faced many new challenges since October 7. Shortly after the terror attacks, they set up a Hebrew-speaking phone hotline for Israelis in Germany who could not contact their relatives, had heard about kidnapped hostages or simply needed to talk. In parallel, Lehrer said, they expanded expert advice on how to deal with antisemitic incidents in educational settings.

And since late 2023 he has provided "safe spaces" for people to share their experiences. The 70-year-old, who belongs to the Jewish community in Cologne, has long been battling antisemitism.

"But the explosion in hatred toward Jews after October 7 has still shocked us," he emphasized. "I thought we had kept antisemitism more contained," he said, adding that some stories he has heard were sickening.

This article was originally written in German.

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