Right-wing extremism continues to be a major cause of anti-Semitic incidents and anti-Semitic violence in Germany. This is proven by the study “Right-wing extremism and anti-Semitism”, which the Federal Association of Anti-Semitism Research and Information Centers (BV RIAS) published before the end of the year.
Anti-Semitism goes beyond the right-wing extremist milieu
The investigation recorded thousands of anti-Semitic incidents in Germany between 2019 and 2023. It should be emphasized by the end of 2023, because with the Hamas terror on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent Gaza war, the number of anti-Semitic incidents “exploded” – as BV RIAS describes it. The trend in 2024 is alarming. Some of the more recent statements fall back on right-wing extremist patterns, explain the authors of the study. Anti-Semitism, says RIAS managing director Benjamin Steinitz, is “a phenomenon that extends far beyond the right-wing extremist milieu.”
Daniel Poensgen, scientific officer at BV RIAS, pointed out that the study was not representative and did not show overall figures. There is a “high number of unreported cases” because numbers are still not being comprehensively recorded. But hardly any other work offers comparable, seriously determined figures: the study only mentions the background to anti-Semitic incidents if their attribution is certain. Because – according to Poensgen – this often cannot be determined because the perpetrators remain unknown or the motives behind the incidents cannot be clearly assigned.
The political background can only be used in around 44 percent of the total 13,654 incidents. The biggest single aspect is right-wing extremist backgrounds. This affects well over a third of the incidents that can be classified.
RIAS gives examples of right-wing extremist hatred of Jews. The best-known case of “extreme violence” was the terrorist attack on the Halle synagogue on October 9, 2019. Another example is the attack on a Jew in Frankfurt/Main in July 2022, in which a neighbor kicked in his door and took the Jew with him injured by beatings. “Although some residents screamed for help, no one showed moral courage or came to help,” the study says.
“Attacks” include, among other things, attacks on public transport or spitting on Jews on the street. “Anti-Semitism connects very different right-wing extremist actors. From the new right to the AfD to football fans,” says co-author Poensgen. The central points of reference are National Socialism and the Shoah.
The AfD as a “threat to Jewish life”
The longest individual chapter of the study, more than a quarter of the entire text, deals with the topic “The Alternative for Germany and Anti-Semitism”. AfD representatives sit in the Bundestag and most German state parliaments. The party is considered right-wing extremist, especially in the eastern German states. “The rise of a party whose ideology systematically triggers anti-Semitic resentment represents a danger not only to Jewish life, but also to democratic actors in Germany,” it summarizes.
In this year, 2024, the BV RIAS and its regional associations repeatedly presented current figures on incidents that were assessed as anti-Semitic. Domestic politicians also express themselves, especially after relevant events. The Bundestag debated and passed a resolution in the fall. Shortly before Christmas, the federal government also presented its second “report on combating anti-Semitism”. And Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) explained: “It is (…) our responsibility to do everything we can to protect Jews.” Anti-Semitism is an “independent social phenomenon” and anti-Semitism research must be established.
In order to illustrate the effects of anti-Semitism, the RIAS Federal Association gave space for a report from the chairwoman of the Jewish Community in Dresden, Ekaterina Kulakova. The music educator, who has been speaking for the community in the Saxon capital for almost two years, impressively describes the situation in the Dresden community. “We regularly have graffiti at the synagogue and at the Jewish cemetery,” said the 55-year-old. “We could do a small exhibition, it's all documented.” She also tells how occasionally, when a demonstration goes by while Jewish children are being taught in the building, she and the caretaker stand behind the protective gate in the inner courtyard of the synagogue to be prepared and to prevent something worse from happening.
But it's not just about attacks on the building, says Kulakova. A threat or insult could also happen at the bakery, for example. They have long been in danger of not wearing Jewish head coverings when shopping and not telling people that they are Jews.
Massive protective measures in front of the synagogue
Kulakova mentioned a special restriction that the security measures would entail for the Jewish community in Dresden. The synagogue is a beautiful building with a large glass front because you want to have a hospitable house. “You could just come in,” she said. “Not anymore, not for two years.” The “absolute protective measures” make visits impossible and have been tightened “not just because of Muslim anti-Semitism.”
The RIAS event with Kulakova took place in the Brandenburg state parliament in Potsdam. The path there leads past the new synagogue, which was opened at the beginning of July 2024 with political celebrities. The Federal President gave a speech and the Foreign Minister was there. At that time, people were also proud of the small café on the ground floor as an opportunity to meet people. Now stick signs at the entrance: “Closed” and “No visitors until further notice”.
