Rep. Elise Stefanik tells the Ruthless Podcast that her famous questions about antisemitism on elite college campuses showed the immense disconnect between academia. America.
Germanyis facing a sharp rise in antisemitism, with officials warning that Islamist. left-wing extremist networks are exploiting the war in the Middle East to spread anti-Jewish rhetoric, mobilize supporters and contribute to harassment and violence against Jewish communities.
These groups are using the Israel–Hamas war. broader regional tensions as a pretext to amplify antisemitic narratives, according to a study by the Hessian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which includes accusations of "genocide" in Gaza and portrayals of Israel as a colonial state, language authorities say is increasingly being used to justify hostility and, in some cases, violence against Jews.
German Interior Minister for the State of Hesse Roman Poseck warned that the trend is escalating.
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"Antisemitism is one of the greatest threats to our social cohesion — especially from Islamism. the left-wing extremist spectrum," Poseck said in a statement.
The developments are raising broader concerns beyond Germany, as officials. Jewish leaders warn that similar patterns of antisemitic rhetoric tied to Middle East conflicts are emerging across Western democracies, including the United States. With Germany long seen as a bellwether due to its history. legal framework around hate speech, the findings are being viewed as a warning sign of how extremist narratives can move from the fringes into mainstream discourse.
A person carries an Israeli flag during a protest against antisemitism at the Brandenburg Gate, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel. Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Berlin, Germany, Dec. 10, 2023.(Lisi Niesner/Reuters)
Poseck. who commissioned the report of the Hessian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, warned of a deteriorating social climate, saying that "antisemitic sentiments are becoming increasingly intolerable, even in public spaces."
"I am deeply ashamed of whatJews in Germany have to endure80 years after the end of the Second World War," he continued. "We Germans, in particular, bear a lasting responsibility never to forget what happened."
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(Annegret Hilse/Reuters)
Forty-six of 102 Jewish communities surveyed in Germany reportedantisemitic incidents. highlighting the growing scale of the threat, a new nationwidereportby the Central Council of Jews in Germany found.
Among the most common incidents identified in the Central Council survey were verbal abuse, threatening phone calls, vandalism. antisemitic graffiti. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they feel less safe living in Germany since theHamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
"Following the explosiverise in antisemitism after Oct. 7, a ‘new normal’ has emerged," Central Council President Josef Schuster said in the press statement. "A situation in which Jewish communities require constant protection and antisemitism has become normalized as part of the public sphere."
The report also found that broader geopolitical developments continue to directly impact Jewish communities in Germany. Sixty-two percent of respondents said their sense of insecurity worsened following the recent war involvingIran. while two-thirds said a Gaza ceasefire did not improve their safety.
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Protesters attend a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Leipzig, Germany Jan. 17, 2026.(Christian Mang/Reuters)
Jewish leaders say the consequences are being felt in daily life. Many Jews are increasingly avoiding visible signs of their identity. such as wearing aStar of Davidor a kippah, or Jewish skullcap, amid fears of harassment. In some cases, communities have canceled events due to security concerns.
At the same time, the report highlights a sharp decline in perceived societal support. Only 35% of communities said they feel solidarity from broader civil society, down from 62% in 2023.
Officials say the normalization of such rhetoric is shifting the boundaries of acceptable public discourse.
A person shows a hand stained with fake blood, during a protest in support of Palestinians in Gaza. to condemn the Israeli forces' interception of some of the vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel's naval blockade, in Berlin, Germany, Oct. 2, 2025.(Axel Schmidt/Reuters)
The findings underscore growing concern that antisemitism. once seen as confined to the margins, is becoming more visible in public life, leaving Jewishcommunities feeling increasingly isolatedand under threat.
Efrat Lachter is a foreign correspondent for Fox News Digital covering international affairs and the United Nations. Follow her on X @efratlachter. Stories can be sent toefrat.lachter@fox.com.
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