German Jewish leader on anti-Semitism: 'I was wrong'

One of the most prominent representatives of the Jewish community in Germany, Charlotte Knobloch, has expressed deep concern about rising anti-Semitism.

The 93-year-old Holocaust survivor, who heads the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, told dpa that "what has developed is outright hatred of Jews."

Knobloch made the comments ahead of the publication of her new book "Trotzdem weiter" (Still Carrying On), which is due to be released by C.H. Beck on Thursday.

"The book is based on the realization: I was wrong. We were wrong," Knobloch writes in the prologue.

She was referring in part to her 2012 autobiography "In Deutschland angekommen" (Arrived in Germany), in which she had still expressed optimism about Jewish life in the country. Today, she sees the situation very differently.

"In 2026, anti-Semitism - or rather, hatred of Jews - has once again reached a quantitative and qualitative level that can no longer merely be described as 'alarming' or a 'wake-up call,' but is acutely and concretely dangerous - indeed, existentially threatening," wrote Knobloch, a former president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.

In an interview with dpa, she called on political leaders to clearly spell out "how they envisage the future with and for their Jewish citizens in this country."

"It is not enough for politicians either to remain silent or to gloss over the issue with just a few sentences," she said.

Knobloch also criticized what she sees as an inadequate response to the October 7, 2023 massacre by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Political reactions, particularly in Germany, had been "a little too superficial," she said. "For a short time there was very intense solidarity, and after that, a fairly steep decline."

What had been missing, she said, was genuine understanding of the horror felt by Jewish people.

"We were held responsible for things over which we really had absolutely no influence," Knobloch said, referring to the war in the Gaza Strip. "All of this has fuelled a hatred of Jews that has, I really have to put it this starkly, somewhat destroyed me."