Merz at Munich Synagogue on Kristallnacht Anniversary: Antisemitism Has Become 'Omnipresent,' Germany Faces Historic Test
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Nov. 9, at a Munich synagogue marking the 88th anniversary of the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom, that antisemitism has become omnipresent in Germany and that the country faces a historic test of its commitment to protecting its Jewish community.
Merz decried the horrifying sight of kindergartens and synagogues protected by bulletproof glass and armed police. He said antisemitism can be seen and heard on the streets, in towns and cities, in neighboring European countries and around the world, in parliaments, clubs and schools. That, he said, is why this is now the moment of truth for the "Never again" that Germans utter so often.
Merz said his government would do everything in its power to protect Jewish life in Germany and abroad, and restated Germany's longstanding support for Israel, which he called part of Germany's historical responsibility.
According to the most recent annual report from RIAS, a monitoring group, antisemitic incidents have been occurring on a dramatic scale since the Gaza war began in 2023, with 8,725 cases reported last year — more than three times the number in 2022, or around 24 every day.
Earlier in the day, Merz nominated Ilse Aigner, the speaker of the Bavarian state parliament, as the conservative bloc's candidate for federal president; if elected, she would become Germany's first female head of state.
(Source: Reuters)
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：慕尼黑 Ohel Jakob 犹太教堂。照片：Chabe01 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Ohel Jakob synagogue in Munich. Photo by Chabe01, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
