German Election: AfD Surge Shocks Jews in Germany

The German federal elections held on February 23, 2025, have sent shockwaves through the country’s Jewish community, as the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) doubled its vote share to 20.4%, making it the second-strongest party in the Bundestag. For Jewish leaders and Holocaust survivors, the result is a chilling reminder of Germany’s dark past, compounded by a surge in antisemitism since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. While the center-right Union, led by Friedrich Merz, emerged victorious with 28.4%, the strong showing of a party with ties to neo-Nazism has left Jews in Germany and their supporters in Israel deeply alarmed.

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The election, triggered by the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s “traffic light” coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and Free Democrats (FDP) late last year, marked a dramatic shift in German politics. The SPD plummeted to a historic low of 16.4%, the Greens fell to 12.2%, and the FDP failed to clear the 5% threshold for parliamentary representation. Meanwhile, the Left Party staged a surprising comeback with 8.9%, and the new Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) narrowly missed the mark at 4.9-5.0%. However, the AfD’s unprecedented success has dominated headlines and Jewish reactions.

Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, didn’t mince words. “I am shocked over the AfD’s success,” he told Die Welt on election night. “That one-fifth of German voters support a party with clear ties to right-wing extremism, and neo-Nazism should shake us all awake.” Schuster, a steadfast voice for Germany’s Jewish community, urged the political center to deliver “realistic solutions” to counter the AfD’s fear-mongering and hollow promises.

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The numbers alone tell a grim story: the AfD, classified by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency as partly right-wing extremist, soared from 10.4% in 2021 to 20.4%, a doubling that positions it as the largest opposition force in the next Bundestag. For Jewish Germans, this isn’t just a statistic; it’s a visceral threat.

Charlotte Knobloch, a Holocaust survivor and president of the Munich and Upper Bavaria Jewish Community, called it a “fanal”, a warning signal. “Germany is a different country today,” she declared, her voice heavy with the weight of history. “Fear is once again part of Jewish daily life. This must stop.” Knobloch pointed to the explosion of antisemitism since Hamas’s barbaric assault on Israel, which killed over 1,200 people and saw hostages like the Bibas family brutalized by terrorists. In Germany, weekly “pro-Palestinian” rallies have morphed into platforms for Jew-hatred, with terror glorification and Israel-bashing barely disguised. Recent incidents, like a knife attack near Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial and a foiled plot against the Israeli embassy, only deepen the sense of siege. “The responsibility of democratic parties has never been greater,” Knobloch warned. “This is about our democracy itself.”

Michel Friedman, a prominent Jewish commentator and jurist, echoed her alarm. “An anti-democratic, dehumanizing party is now the biggest opposition force,” he said. “It will hunt the new government and seep deeper into political life. I’m profoundly disturbed.” Friedman called out Russian and American propaganda for stoking division, urging swift, competent governance to stem the extremist tide. “There’s little time left,” he added grimly.

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The Union’s Friedrich Merz, poised to become Germany’s next chancellor, has pledged a swift government formation, likely with the SPD as a reluctant partner, given the numbers don’t support a Union-Green coalition.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasted no time congratulating Merz, tweeting, “I look forward to close cooperation to strengthen our nations’ partnership.” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar chimed in, anticipating Merz’s first visit to Jerusalem as chancellor. For Israel, a Merz-led Germany could signal a shift from the Scholz government’s wobbly stance, exemplified by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s criticized equivocation on Israel’s self-defense.

But Jewish hopes in Merz are tempered by fears of the AfD’s influence. Philipp Peyman Engel, editor-in-chief of the Jüdische Allgemeine, hailed the Union’s win as a chance for a “real policy shift” after a “lost decade” under Angela Merkel and Scholz. Yet he, too, flagged the AfD’s rise as a “tragic record,” blaming the outgoing coalition’s failures on migration, energy, and security. Engel demanded an end to tolerating antisemitic rallies and a foreign policy that truly stands with Israel, not one that isolates it with silent arms embargoes or abstentions on anti-Israel UN resolutions.

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The AfD’s co-leader, Tino Chrupalla, added fuel to Jewish and Israeli concerns with his post-election comments. Asked about weapons deliveries to Israel, he doubled down on the party’s isolationist stance: “No arms to war zones, including Israel.” Pressed on Israel’s fight against Hamas and Iranian aggression, Chrupalla deflected with calls for “diplomatic solutions” and a “two-state solution,” equating the deaths of 40,000 Gazans, many due to Hamas’s tactics, with Israel’s defensive actions. “A human is a human,” he said, sidestepping the slaughter of Israeli civilians that sparked the war. For Jewish ears, it’s a familiar dodge, moral relativism that excuses terror and undermines Israel’s survival.

Meanwhile, voter breakdowns reveal a fractured electorate. The AfD scored higher with men (23%) than women (17%) and tied with the Left among the under-30 crowd (21% to 24%), signaling a generational radicalization that worries Jewish leaders. Polls show 70-74% of Germans oppose an AfD role in government, a relief, given Merz’s firm rejection of any alliance. Yet the party’s clout as opposition, including the potential to trigger parliamentary inquiries, ensures its voice will echo louder than ever.

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For German Jews, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The election has laid bare a nation at a crossroads: a chance for renewal under Merz or a slide toward extremism abetted by the AfD’s ascent.

In Israel, where Germany’s historical debt is never forgotten, the outcome is watched with bated breath. As Schuster put it, “The center must act.” For the Jewish people, the fight against antisemitism, Hamas, and their enablers demands nothing less.