Germany Confronts ‘Omnipresent’ Antisemitism as Merz Warns of Historic Test

• Chancellor Friedrich Merz highlighted the alarming presence of antisemitism across society, noting its visible impact on streets, schools, and public spaces.
• Recent monitoring data indicates that antisemitic incidents have surged dramatically since the onset of the Gaza conflict.

Updated 4 min 4 sec ago

November 10, 2026 03:19

BERLIN: Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on Monday that Germany is facing a historic test of its commitment to protecting its Jewish community, describing the “horrifying sight” of kindergartens and synagogues guarded by bulletproof glass and armed police.

Speaking at a Munich synagogue on the anniversary of the 1938 “Kristallnacht” pogrom — which foreshadowed the Nazi Holocaust that ultimately claimed over six million European Jewish lives — Merz declared that antisemitism has become “omnipresent.”

“We see and hear it on our streets, in our towns and cities, across our European neighbors and around the world, in parliaments, in clubs, and in schools,” Merz stated.

“And that is why this is now the moment of truth for the ‘Never again’ that we utter so often,” he added.

Merz affirmed that his government would exhaust all efforts to protect Jewish life both in Germany and globally, reiterating Germany’s longstanding support for Israel as part of its historical responsibility. Previous chancellors, including Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz, made similar pledges to safeguard Jewish institutions and combat antisemitism.

According to the latest annual report from the RIAS monitoring group, antisemitic incidents have escalated on a “dramatic scale” since the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023. The report documented 8,725 incidents last year — more than triple the figures from 2022, averaging approximately 24 incidents per day.

The conflict in Gaza was initiated after Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths. Palestinian authorities report that over 74,000 people have been killed in the subsequent Israeli military assault on Gaza.

Ilse Aigner, the Bavarian parliament speaker nominated earlier on Monday by Merz as the conservative party’s candidate for Germany’s first female head of state, described the widespread insecurity felt by Jewish citizens as “a disgrace for our country.”

“Kristallnacht,” or the “Night of Broken Glass,” refers to the November 9, 1938, wave of killings of Jewish citizens, alongside widespread looting and destruction of Jewish properties, synagogues, shops, and homes.

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