Germany reports spike in anti-Semitism

More than 8,000 incidents were recorded in 2024, up 77% from the previous year, according to watchdog RIAS

The number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded in Germany surged by around 77% in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to a report by watchdog RIAS. The authors linked the spike to “collective blame” over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

The document, published on Wednesday, recorded a total of 8,627 anti-Semitic incidents in the country last year, up from 4,886 in 2023.

“The extent and quality of anti-Semitic incidents in Germany in 2024 were very similar to the situation in the first months after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel,” the watchdog said, noting that the Gaza conflict “became a pretext for many people to make anti-Semitic statements.”

“For Jews in Germany, anti-Semitism remains a phenomenon that shapes everyday life,” the report stated.

RIAS said the increase was especially visible in anti-Israel activism. It recorded 5,857 instances tied to anti-Semitism at protests, through posters and stickers, and at schools and universities. Cases targeting Jews and Israelis directly nearly tripled in two years, it said, from 331 in 2022 to 966 last year. The number of right-wing extremism-linked cases hit a record 544 since tracking began in 2020.

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RIAS recorded eight cases of extreme personal violence, 186 assaults, and 300 threats. Reported incidents also included vandalized Holocaust memorials and anti-Semitic graffiti.

Germany’s federal police also track anti-Semitic crimes, though only if they meet criminal thresholds. The agency logged a 20.7% increase in crimes against Jews in 2024 compared to the year prior, with 6,236 incidents.

Josef Schuster, the president of the Central Council of Jews, said the RIAS report “bears witness to a daily life that is increasingly characterized by hostility and hatred for many Jews.” He called for more training for police and the judiciary to better identify and prevent these incidents.

German Anti-Semitism Commissioner Felix Klein, who previously linked the rise in anti-Semitic incidents to the country’s growing Muslim population, said the Gaza war has come to “serve as a justification” for anti-Semitic acts.

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“It’s a sad trend that every year we hear how sharply the number of anti-Semitic incidents has risen,” Klein said. “The increase in 2024 was particularly striking – hatred against Jews in Germany has normalized to a shameful level.” He called for a stronger, more focused effort to counter the trend.

Germany is home to an estimated 125,000 Jews.