Jews could leave the country if the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) makes gains in state elections next month, the German government’s commissioner for combating antisemitism, Felix Klein, warned.
“Many Jewish families are indeed thinking about whether they should live somewhere else — even if they have not yet acted on those thoughts,” Klein said in an interview with the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger.
Klein, who is ending his tenure this month after being appointed in 2018, described as “worrying” a scenario in which a party, parts of which are classified by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as “clearly far-right,” assumes political responsibility at the state level. Elections in Saxony-Anhalt will be held on September 6, while elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will take place on September 20.
Klein’s warning comes amid what he described as a deterioration in the situation of Germany’s Jews. “The quality of life of Jewish men and women in Germany has declined,” he said. More than 6,000 antisemitic incidents were recorded last year, a record high, compared with fewer than 1,500 when he took office. Klein attributed the increase, among other things, to Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack and the war that followed, saying the developments had removed barriers to overt expressions of antisemitism.
Supporters of Germany’s far right demonstrate ahead of elections last year
(Photo: AP/Markus Schreiber)
At the same time, Klein said that trust in Germany and its political leadership remains “relatively strong.” He said Jews around the world are also showing considerable interest in obtaining German citizenship.
‘Tighten criminal laws’
Klein also called during the interview for tougher legislation against antisemitism and support for terrorist organizations. He said anyone who cheers for Hamas at a demonstration should face at least six months in prison. If the person is a foreign national without legal residency status, he believes they should be deported after being convicted and serving their sentence.
“My wish for the chancellor and the justice minister is to tighten the criminal laws,” Klein said. “Support for foreign terrorist organizations must be a criminal offense in any form.”
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators take part in a protest in Berlin
(Photo: Christoph Soeder/AP)
He also called for giving customs authorities broader powers to prevent the financing of terrorist organizations and for continued support for successful projects combating antisemitism under the government’s “Live Democracy!” program.
Klein additionally called for the study of antisemitism to become mandatory in teacher training and school curricula. “Anyone who is sensitive to antisemitism has no place in the teaching system,” he said. He also called for disciplinary measures against teachers who make antisemitic statements in the classroom and for Jewish life to be incorporated positively into school curricula, so students do not associate Judaism solely with antisemitism, the Middle East conflict and the Holocaust.
Klein will leave his post at the end of the month and will be appointed Germany’s ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris.