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Germany is facing a sharp rise in antisemitism, with officials warning that Islamist and left-wing extremist networks are exploiting the war in the Middle East to spread anti-Jewish rhetoric, mobilize supporters and contribute to harassment and violence against Jewish communities.
These groups are using the Israel–Hamas war and broader regional tensions as a pretext to amplify antisemitic narratives, according to a study by the Hessian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which includes accusations of “genocide” in Gaza and portrayals of Israel as a colonial state, language authorities say is increasingly being used to justify hostility and, in some cases, violence against Jews.
German Interior Minister Roman Poseck warned that the trend is escalating.
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“Antisemitism is one of the greatest threats to our social cohesion — especially from Islamism and the left-wing extremist spectrum,” Poseck said in a statement.
The developments are raising broader concerns beyond Germany, as officials and Jewish leaders warn that similar patterns of antisemitic rhetoric tied to Middle East conflicts are emerging across Western democracies, including the United States. With Germany long seen as a bellwether due to its history and legal framework around hate speech, the findings are being viewed as a warning sign of how extremist narratives can move from the fringes into mainstream discourse.
A person carries an Israeli flag during a protest against antisemitism at the Brandenburg Gate, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Berlin, Germany, Dec. 10, 2023. (Lisi Niesner/Reuters)
Poseck, who commissioned the report of the Hessian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, warned of a deteriorating social climate, saying that “antisemitic sentiments are becoming increasingly intolerable, even in public spaces.”
“I am deeply ashamed of what Jews in Germany have to endure 80 years after the end of the Second World War,” he continued. “We Germans, in particular, bear a lasting responsibility never to forget what happened.”
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An anti-Israel protester wears a high-visibility jacket during a march near the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia in August 2025. (Ayush Kumar/SOPA Images/LightRocket)
Forty-six of 102 Jewish communities surveyed in Germany reported antisemitic incidents, highlighting the growing scale of the threat, a new nationwide report by the Central Council of Jews in Germany found.
Among the most common incidents identified in the Central Council survey were verbal abuse, threatening phone calls, vandalism and antisemitic graffiti. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they feel less safe living in Germany since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
“Following the explosive rise in antisemitism after Oct. 7, a ‘new normal’ has emerged,” Central Council President Josef Schuster said in the press statement. “A situation in which Jewish communities require constant protection and antisemitism has become normalized as part of the public sphere.”
The report also found that broader geopolitical developments continue to directly impact Jewish communities in Germany. Sixty-two percent of respondents said their sense of insecurity worsened following the recent war involving Iran, while two-thirds said a Gaza ceasefire did not improve their safety.
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Law enforcement officers respond to a call at Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Mich., on March 12, 2026. (Paul Sancya/AP)
Jewish leaders say the consequences are being felt in daily life. Many Jews are increasingly avoiding visible signs of their identity, such as wearing a Star of David or a kippah, or Jewish skullcap, amid fears of harassment. In some cases, communities have canceled events due to security concerns.
At the same time, the report highlights a sharp decline in perceived societal support. Only 35% of communities said they feel solidarity from broader civil society, down from 62% in 2023.
Officials say the normalization of such rhetoric is shifting the boundaries of acceptable public discourse.
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Police arrest a demonstrator during a rally organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, opposite Downing Street in central London on April 30, 2026, following the stabbing of two Jewish men the day before in the Golders Green neighbourhood of north London. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed Thursday to boost security for the Jewish community following the latest attack against it, while urging Britons to unite against antisemitism. Facing accusations from angry British Jews that his government has repeatedly failed to protect them, Starmer pledged immediate increased funding for synagogues and other sites but insisted UK society must “come together” to “fight antisemitism”. (CARLOS JASSO / AFP via Getty Images)
The findings underscore growing concern that antisemitism, once seen as confined to the margins, is becoming more visible in public life, leaving Jewish communities feeling increasingly isolated and under threat.