Merz says antisemitism remains widespread as Munich synagogue marks 20 years
Monday 9th November 2026 on 19:45 in
Bavaria
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said antisemitism was “all-pervasive” as Munich’s Ohel Jakob Synagogue marked its 20th anniversary. He warned that Jewish people still cannot live openly and safely in Germany, BR reported.
At the ceremony, Merz said the fight against antisemitism could be won “only in people’s minds”. He had thought society would have made more progress, he said, but “normal, open, visible Jewish life in Germany is still not possible”.
The anniversary fell on the date of the 1938 pogrom known as Kristallnacht, when Munich’s earlier Ohel Jakob Synagogue was destroyed. The present synagogue was inaugurated on the same date 20 years ago.
Charlotte Knobloch, president of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, said the synagogue had become a place of encounter. Thousands of visitors from Munich, elsewhere in Germany and abroad had seen that it belonged to the city, she said. But Jewish people were still waiting for the day they could live in their homeland without insecurity.
Knobloch said Jews in Germany had faced renewed hostility since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. She cited both the return of the far right and what she called a “morally misguided left”.
Bavarian Premier Markus Söder said it would be unacceptable if Berlin formed a government that did not clearly distance itself from antisemitism. He said protecting Jewish life now faced new challenges from both the far left and Islamism.
Ilse Aigner, the Bavarian state parliament president and a recently proposed candidate for the federal presidency, described “unrestrained hatred of Jews” as coming from both the far right and far left. She also cited what she called serious integration deficits in some Muslim communities. Aigner said “Never again” was dead and referred to figures from the Research and Information Centre on Antisemitism, which had documented an average of about 24 antisemitic incidents a day in Germany.
Munich Mayor Dominik Krause condemned what he called hatred of Jews under the guise of supposed solidarity with Palestinians. Criticism of Israeli government policy was not inherently antisemitic, he said, but seeking to erase Israel, demonising one side, or playing down or celebrating the October 7 massacre was antisemitism. Merz said Germany stood firmly by Israel.