A qualitative study involving 118 Jewish people and members of Israeli communities in Germany examined how they experienced the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, and the period that followed. The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, which supported the two-year project, described the exclusion and discrimination reported by participants as a “new antisemitic normality.”
In individual interviews and group discussions, participants spoke of silence or indifference among friends and acquaintances, and of being treated as representatives of Israel and asked to answer for its government. They described direct confrontations in person and online, some beginning on the evening of October 7 and continuing afterwards. Participants also recounted attempts to reinterpret or downplay the killings, hostage-taking and rocket attacks on civilians, alongside one-sided blame directed at Israel.
The agency said the pressure to explain their identity contributed to psychological strain and social withdrawal among children, teenagers and adults, heightened security concerns and restricted participation in public life. These are findings about the experiences of 118 interviewees in a qualitative study, not a statistical measure of how widespread antisemitism is across Germany’s population.
Ferda Ataman, the independent federal anti-discrimination commissioner, called for stronger protection for Jewish people at schools and universities, saying legal safeguards remain inadequate. The agency cited reported harassment in childcare centres and classrooms, discrimination in housing and employment, and refusals of service in restaurants.