Germany faces historic test over rise in antisemitism, Merz says in Kristallnacht speech

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany faces a historic test of its commitment to protecting its Jewish community, speaking at a Munich synagogue on the anniversary of the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom. Merz called antisemitism 'omnipresent' and said the moment of truth has arrived for 'Never again.' RIAS reported 8,725 antisemitic incidents last year, triple the 2022 figure.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Germany faces a historic test of its commitment to protecting its Jewish community, speaking at a Munich synagogue on the anniversary of the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom. Merz decried the 'horrifying sight' of kindergartens and synagogues protected by bulletproof glass and armed police, and said antisemitism has become 'omnipresent' on German streets, in schools, and in parliaments. He called this 'the moment of truth for the Never again that we utter so often.' Merz pledged his government would do everything in its power to protect Jewish life and restated Germany's longstanding support for Israel, which he said 'is part of our historical responsibility.' The article notes that Merz's predecessors Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz made similar commitments. According to the RIAS monitoring group, antisemitic incidents have been occurring on a 'dramatic scale' since the start of the Israel-Hamas War in 2023, with 8,725 reported last year, more than triple the 2022 figure. Bavarian parliament speaker Ilse Aigner, nominated by Merz as the conservatives' candidate to become Germany's first female head of state, said the insecurity felt by many Jews in Germany was 'a disgrace for our country.'