Antisemitic incidents in Germany in the context of the massacres and war in Israel and Gaza between October 7 and November 9, 2023
Since October 7, 2023, nothing has been the same. On that day, Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip attacked Israel, killing more than 1,200 people in multiple massacres of civilians. Over 240 people were abducted to the Gaza Strip. Thousands of rockets were fired at Israel. Since then, the attacks have continued uninterrupted. On October 28, the Israeli army launched a ground offensive in Gaza with the aim of destroying Hamas’ infrastructure and freeing the hostages. Since then, media attention has shifted to the events in Gaza, meaning that the massacres of the Israeli civilian population that triggered the war increasingly faded into the background.
In Germany, there were expressions of solidarity with Israel, especially at the beginning, but there were also immediate antisemitic and terror-glorifying reactions. On the evening of October 7th, cries of “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” were documented in Berlin. The skyrocketing number of antisemitic incidents since October 7th has remained at a high level ever since.
For Jews, the negotiation between visibility and security reached a new quality with the turning point on October 7th. Since then, Jewish life in Germany has become less visible. In their everyday lives, Jews are increasingly confronted with a lack of empathy and antisemitism. In addition, Jews are increasingly reporting antisemitic incidents from friends, in the neighborhood, at their workplace or at universities. The impact of specific antisemitic experiences increases with the shock and sadness after October 7th.
Against the background of this tense situation in Germany and worldwide, the Federal Association RIAS is publishing this second monitoring report, which takes a look at the anti-Semitic incidents between October 7th and November 9th, 2023.
