Germany recorded a historic spike in antisemitic incidents last year, with 8,627 cases—the highest annual figure ever documented—marking an 80% increase over the 2023 total, a government watchdog reported Wednesday.
The figure comes from the 2024 report by the Federal Association of Research and Information on Antisemitism, or RIAS, which has tracked such incidents nationally since 2018 and in Berlin since 2015.
On average, the 2024 tally amounts to roughly 24 incidents per day—or one every hour—the nonprofit organization noted.
Of the 2024 incidents, eight were classified as involving “extreme violence,” including two Islamist terrorist attacks. One occurred in August in Solingen, where an ISIS supporter killed three people and injured eight others, citing revenge for Palestinians and referencing the Israel-Hamas war. In September, on the anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics attack, a suspected Islamist targeted the Israeli Consulate and the Munich Documentation Centre for the History of Nazism. Two people sustained minor injuries, and the attacker was fatally shot by police.
RIAS also recorded 186 antisemitic assaults in 2024 that did not involve “extreme violence,” compared to 127 in 2023 and 58 in 2022.
Across Western Europe and beyond, antisemitic incidents surged following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, in which around 6,000 terrorists stormed the country, killing approximately 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. In response, Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza later that month, aiming to dismantle Hamas and secure the release of the hostages.
The report highlighted a surge in rhetoric that downplays the Holocaust, equates Auschwitz with Gaza, adopts Hamas symbols, and glorifies terrorism as resistance. In this distorted narrative, RIAS noted, “the Jews” are frequently portrayed as “the new Nazis.” The organization also reported a rise in far-right agitation against Jews.
Gady Gronich, the Munich-based CEO of the Conference of European Rabbis, told JNS on Wednesday that the report “is not surprising but wholly expected based on the reality we see on the street.”
Jews in Berlin, where 28% of all the 2024 incidents were documented, generally avoid wearing kippahs unless they’re concealed under a hat or cap. Star of David pendants are often tucked under clothing, and many parents express concerns about sending their children to Jewish schools, Gronich told JNS.
“The situation in Germany was uncomfortable before October 7, but it was still possible to lead an open Jewish life with minimal friction,” Gronich added. “Unfortunately, that is no longer the case for a large number of Jews in Germany.”
In 2020, a demographic study estimated that Germany was home to approximately 118,000 people who identified as Jews.
“Antisemitism has spread beyond immigrant communities and the far-right, reaching other radicalized Germans, particularly young people from the far-left, through social media,” Gronich said.
The federal government and local authorities, particularly in Bavaria, have been “exemplary” in combating antisemitism, enforcing bans on hate speech at anti-Israel rallies, and providing physical protection to Jewish institutions, Gronich said. He added that the Conference of European Rabbis’ new Munich offices benefit from “24/7 protection and feel quite safe.”
But there is “a disconnect between the government and the street in Germany. And the problem, unfortunately, lies in the street,” Gronich said.
He also stated that in the public discourse in Germany, “there is hardly any presence of Jewish, pro-Israel voices. There is very little public advocacy for Israel, or by Israel.” While Jewish organizations do speak up for Israel in the media, he added, it is not their primary function. “So there’s a feeling that antisemitism is spreading without pushback,” he said.