Antisemitism in Germany ‘worse than at any time since the Holocaust,’ report finds

Germany continues to face persistently high levels of antisemitism, with 2,197 antisemitic incidents recorded in Berlin in 2025, according to a report published yesterday by Germany’s Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism, known as RIAS.

The figure was down about 13% from 2,521 incidents the previous year, but remained more than double pre-October 7, 2023, levels.

RIAS highlighted 40 violent incidents in Berlin, including a stabbing attack at the Holocaust Memorial in which a young man was wounded in the neck. Other cases involved assaults, spitting and vandalism targeting Jewish institutions and businesses.

In the state of Hesse, RIAS noted a record 1,099 antisemitic incidents in 2025, an 18% increase from the previous year and nearly six times higher than before Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

The report describes an increasingly hostile environment in which Jews and Israelis face harassment, intimidation and violence in public spaces. There was a notable surge in anti-Israel demonstrations last year, as 239 events included antisemitic slogans, denial of Israel’s right to exist, and calls to “kill Jews.”

Victims reported avoiding visible Jewish symbols or speaking Hebrew openly out of fear.

Jewish leaders warned that antisemitism has become increasingly normalized across German society.

“The threat to Jewish life is worse than at any time since the Holocaust,” said Hesse antisemitism commissioner Uwe Becker.