Chancellor Merz tearfully expresses shame at rising antisemitism in Germany, vows to combat it

Chancellor Merz: “Antisemitism has never disappeared from the Federal Republic of Germany, and many of you know this from your bitter experience.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivered an emotional address at the reopening of the Reichenbachstrasse Synagogue in Munich on Monday, voicing both shame and determination in the face of rising antisemitism.

Wearing a kippah and visibly moved, Merz recalled the synagogue’s tragic history and the Holocaust while acknowledging today’s challenges for Germany’s Jews. “We are reopening the synagogue for the third time, again under extremely difficult conditions,” he said, noting that police stand guard at Jewish institutions across the country. “Antisemitism has never disappeared from the Federal Republic of Germany, and many of you know this from your bitter experience.”

The ceremony, attended by Munich Jewish community president Charlotte Knobloch, Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor, and Central Council of Jews chairman Josef Schuster, was both a moment of remembrance and a declaration of commitment. Merz pledged that the government will ensure Jewish life in Germany can flourish without fear, framing this as the true meaning of “Never again.”

He emphasized that generations of Jews in Germany have grown up under heavy security. “I wanted to believe, as many Germans do, that perhaps one day it would be better,” Merz said. “Then came October 7, 2023—the largest mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. In some streets in Germany, people celebrated. That day made it clear that for too long we closed our eyes to the fact that many who arrived here in recent decades were raised in countries where antisemitism is nearly a state doctrine and hatred of Israel is taught in schools.”

The chancellor described a “new wave of antisemitism in an old-new guise,” manifesting openly and covertly in universities, social media, and public spaces. “I want to tell you how ashamed I am, as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, but also as a German citizen,” he said.

Concluding, Merz promised: “We will do everything in our power so that Jews across Germany can live, celebrate, and study without fear. Our duty, more than ever, is to give real meaning to ‘Never again’—our shared historical obligation.”