When Dr. Katharina von Schnurbein was offered the position of Germany’s commissioner for Jewish life and the fight against antisemitism, she did not hesitate.
For someone who had spent more than a decade working to combat antisemitism across the European Union, the opportunity to move from the European level to a national position offered something she believes is increasingly necessary: the ability to turn policy into concrete action.
“I see it really as an opportunity to be able to do things in a lot more concrete way than is possible at the European level,” von Schnurbein told The Jerusalem Post in an interview days after taking up her new position this month.
Between 2015 and 2026, von Schnurbein served as the European Commission’s coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. She was a central figure in developing the EU’s approach to antisemitism, building relationships with Jewish communities across the continent, and promoting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
Her new position, formally titled “federal government commissioner on Jewish life in Germany and the fight against antisemitism,” is based in the Interior Ministry. Although appointed by the government, the position is independent.
The move comes at a particularly difficult time for Germany’s Jewish community. Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel, antisemitic incidents have surged across Europe, while Jewish communities have increasingly reported feeling unsafe in public spaces, universities, and even their own neighborhoods.
“There will be forever a before and after October 7,” she said. “The hatred that erupted, the antisemitism that erupted, particularly also online, on October 7, 8, and 9, gave a push to what had probably been dormant.”
She also pointed to the celebrations that took place in European streets following the Hamas attack as an indication of how deeply rooted some of these attitudes are.
One of the most significant developments, she argued, has been the growing prominence of Israel-related antisemitism.
“It has pushed to the fore Israel-related antisemitism, which I think has become really one of the most prevalent forms,” she said.
Von Schnurbein is careful to distinguish between criticism of Israeli government policies and antisemitism. However, she argues that hostility toward Israel can become a vehicle for antisemitic attitudes, and that the impact on Jewish communities cannot be ignored.
“All forms of antisemitism are equally pernicious and toxic for democracy,” she said. “It erodes democracy, and therefore, in a way, we would have to fight it even if it was only about the Jews.”
She added that combating antisemitism should not be viewed as a favor to the Jewish community.
“First, it is our duty, but it is also something that, as part of the defense of democracy, is absolutely necessary.”
Antisemitic incidents in Germany tripled since October 7
According to von Schnurbein, antisemitic incidents in Germany have increased threefold compared with the period before October 7. The increase encompasses physical attacks, intimidation, and antisemitism in the online environment.
“Jews don’t feel safe. They hide their Star of David, they don’t wear the kippah, and so on,” she said. “And that’s really unacceptable. For Germany, with our history, in 2026, this is not possible.”
Some Jews, she says, avoid giving their home addresses to Uber drivers, choosing instead to be dropped off several houses away. Others have removed mezuzahs from their doorposts, changed their names on apartment building bells, or stopped displaying visible Jewish symbols.
Yet von Schnurbein also sees another, contrasting phenomenon: a Jewish community determined not to disappear from public life.
Jewish students, for example, want to remain visible on university campuses and express their identity despite the hostility they encounter. She also pointed to the strong attendance at synagogues during Yom Kippur this year, saying that Jewish communities are increasingly coming together.
“This year, people want to be in community. They want to come together. They want to make a stand,” she said. “I think this kind of resilience is so typical of the Jewish community.”
She acknowledged that the fear is real and unacceptable, but said Germany’s overall situation remains better than that of several other European countries, largely because of the government’s willingness to invest in security and dedicate personnel and resources to combating antisemitism.
The plan to mobilize Germany’s silent majority
Von Schnurbein’s immediate priority is to establish close cooperation with Jewish communities throughout Germany to identify gaps in legislation and determine where further measures are needed.
But her broader objective is to mobilize what she calls the silent majority: Germans who reject antisemitism but do not necessarily speak out against it.
To achieve that, she plans to spend her first 100 days traveling to all of Germany’s federal states, meeting Jewish communities, regional antisemitism commissioners, civil society organizations, businesses, and church representatives.
The goal is to build a network of people willing to publicly confront antisemitism rather than leave the responsibility to Jewish organizations and government officials.
“In the end, my goal is to get antisemitism off the street, and at the moment we are far from it,” she said.
She also recognizes that Germany’s political landscape presents additional challenges. She specifically mentioned the political situation in Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt, pointing to the far-right Alternative for Germany’s recent electoral victories, as well as left-wing and Islamist extremism in the capital.
“Unless the silent majority stands up, it will be difficult,” she said.
Her call for broader public involvement came just days after German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivered a similarly forceful message at a November 9 commemoration marking the anniversary of the 1938 Kristallnacht pogroms at the Buchenwald memorial.
“We must stand up against hatred of Jews – regardless of whether it comes from the political extremes on the Right or Left, from the middle of society, or from Islamism,” Steinmeier declared.
He called on Germans to stand alongside Jews who are demeaned, excluded, insulted, or attacked because of their identity, adding: “Do not remain silent. Do not play it down. Do not look away.”
For von Schnurbein, one of the first steps is to name antisemitism clearly.
“You cannot fight what you don’t see,” she said, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the connections between different extremist movements and identifying where legitimate political criticism crosses into antisemitism.
“We have a history. It is Germany that started and conceptualized the industrial killing of six million Jews,” she said. “And therefore, our responsibility is also for Germany to become a fighter at the forefront of antisemitism in Europe and maybe globally.”
One of von Schnurbein’s most significant achievements during her years at the European Commission was helping establish the IHRA working definition of antisemitism as an important reference point across Europe.
The definition, which includes examples of contemporary antisemitism relating to Israel, has been adopted or used by EU member states and numerous nongovernmental organizations.
Its adoption was not automatic. Von Schnurbein recalled the considerable effort required to convince politicians and officials across the 27 member states to support it.
She strongly rejects the suggestion by some that the definition risks limiting legitimate criticism of Israel.
“The IHRA definition is criticized because it works,” she said. “It doesn’t mean that it’s illegal to say it. You just have to live with the fact that someone else may say, ‘I find this antisemitic,’ and here’s a definition that says so.”
Before the definition became widely established, she argued, Jewish communities often lacked a commonly recognized framework through which to explain why certain rhetoric crossed the line.
“It was a one-way street. Jews did not have this kind of tool to just say, ‘According to this, it’s antisemitic.’ So it was an important tool.”
For von Schnurbein, the issue is not about preventing discussion of Israel, but about ensuring that antisemitism is recognized even when it is expressed through hostility toward the Jewish state.
Perhaps the most important element of von Schnurbein’s European legacy, she believes, was the decision to place fostering Jewish life alongside combating antisemitism.
When she began her work in 2015, she said, the idea that European institutions should have a positive agenda toward Jewish communities, rather than simply focusing on preventing hatred, represented an important shift.
That approach translated into financial support for Jewish community projects, cultural initiatives, and organizations working to strengthen Jewish life across Europe.
“We created a working space for groups with similar initiatives, bringing people together in civil society fora, in real life, not digitally,” she said.
She also highlighted the importance of preserving Holocaust sites. Across Europe, there are more than 44,000 locations connected to the Holocaust, many of which are maintained by small organizations and volunteers.
“These places become the testimonials, and it’s really important that we strengthen them,” she said.
Another priority during her EU tenure was combating antisemitism online.
Von Schnurbein described the difficulty of securing meaningful cooperation from major technology companies, but said European legislation has provided new tools.
Under the Digital Services Act, which came into force in 2022, very large online platforms are required to address systemic risks associated with their services, including risks to fundamental rights and public discourse.
She also described a new initiative bringing together technology developers and specialists in antisemitism to develop practical solutions for identifying and addressing online hatred.
“We need to do the calling out – it’s very important – and the fighting. But a lot of change can happen also through this positive approach,” she said.
There is one perception that von Schnurbein would particularly like to challenge: the widespread belief among Israelis that Europe has become an inherently hostile place for Jews.
She understands why Israelis may have reached that conclusion, particularly after October 7 and the images of antisemitic demonstrations and attacks across European cities.
But she believes that just as some Europeans have a distorted understanding of Israel, she said, Israelis can also have an incomplete picture of what is happening in Europe.
Her message to Israelis is simple: “Come and see.”
“There are extremists; they are dangerous, yes. But there is a broad civil society and state that wants something different,” she said. “And therefore, I’m rather optimistic that we can do something.”
Follow us on GoogleSource: The Jerusalem Post · AMICHAI STEIN
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