Antisemitism in Europe, 88 years after Kristallnacht: police meet in Berlin and France sets a date for debate

Police officers hear from a survivor in Berlin on 5 November

On Thursday 5 November 2026, law enforcement officials from Germany, elsewhere in Europe and the United States gathered at Berlin’s New Synagogue ahead of the 88th anniversary of the pogrom of 9–10 November 1938 ¹². The gathering, called “Not on Our Watch”, was organised with the International March of the Living. It honoured Wilhelm Krützfeld, the police officer who protected the building in 1938 ¹².

Before the ceremony, George Shefi, 94, spoke to JTA about Germany’s responsibility to pass on the memory of the Holocaust. At the gathering, the Jerusalem Post reported his concern for the safety of Jews around the world ¹². Jochen Kopelke, head of the German police union, described a sharp rise in antisemitism that was “German, born here”. He criticised AfD co-leader Alice Weidel for referring to a “cult of guilt” ¹.

Reporting on the event, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency cited a report by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism. It recorded 244 incidents targeting synagogues, Chabad centres or worshippers nearby in 34 countries between 7 October 2023 and 21 October 2026 ².

Germany appoints a commissioner and the chancellor speaks out

Katharina von Schnurbein, the European Commission’s coordinator on combating antisemitism since 2015, was appointed federal commissioner for Jewish life and the fight against antisemitism on 14 October. She succeeded Felix Klein on Wednesday 28 October ³. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt praised her as “a recognised expert” ³. RIAS recorded 8,725 antisemitic incidents in 2025, compared with a revised figure of 8,713 for 2024 in its 2025 report. It counted 178 assaults and 257 threats in 2025. RIAS classified 68% of incidents as Israel-related antisemitism ¹¹. In Berlin, RIAS counted 2,197 incidents in 2025, down 13% on the previous year but still more than double the level before 7 October 2023 ⁴.

On Friday 6 November, Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a reception at the Chancellery for German Jewish athletes who competed in the 2026 Maccabiah Games. Referring to immigrants from Muslim countries, he said Germany’s historical responsibility “applies equally to those who come here” and that “those who do not respect that must leave our country”, according to the DPA news agency ⁴.

Remembering 9 November

Organisers of “Spread the Light” are inviting synagogues and institutions to leave their lights on overnight on 9–10 November ⁵¹². A discussion at UN headquarters in New York recalled how synagogues were burned on the night of 9–10 November 1938 and some 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Historian Christoph Kreutzmüller stressed that the exact death toll is still unknown ⁶. On the evening of Sunday 8 November, dozens of mayors from several countries commemorated the pogrom in Jerusalem at the opening of the American Jewish Congress’s international mayors’ conference ⁷.

France’s Senate is due to take up the bill on 15 December

In France, the Senate’s agenda for 15 and 16 December 2026 includes a bill “to strengthen the cohesion of the Republic by combating racism and antisemitism” (bill no. 890), according to the legislative record updated on 9 November. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu introduced the bill in the Senate on 9 July 2026 under an accelerated procedure ⁸. Sponsored by Minister Aurore Bergé, it extends to racism an earlier bill introduced by MP Caroline Yadan. The National Assembly ultimately did not debate Yadan’s bill, and more than 700,000 people signed a petition opposing it ⁹. Speaking on France Inter on 17 July, Bergé expressed the hope that the two chambers would vote the same way, according to the cited account ⁹.

Separately, Libération reported on 29 October that Serp, the record label founded by Jean-Marie Le Pen and run from 1992 by his daughter Marie-Caroline, had reissued recordings in the 1990s that included Wehrmacht and SS songs, interviews with Léon Degrelle and an album devoted to Vichy propagandist Philippe Henriot ¹⁰.

Sources

1. Jerusalem Post, « Police leaders gather in Berlin to address rising antisemitism for Kristallnacht anniversary », 5 novembre 2026, https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-913991
2. JTA, « Kristallnacht survivor calls on German police to stand firm against hate », 6 novembre 2026, https://www.jta.org/2026/11/06/global/kristallnacht-survivor-calls-on-german-police-to-stand-firm-against-hate
3. Times of Israel (édition française), « L'Allemagne nomme une nouvelle commissaire à la lutte contre l'antisémitisme », 8 novembre 2026, https://fr.timesofisrael.com/lallemagne-nomme-une-nouvelle-commissaire-a-la-lutte-contre-lantisemitisme/
4. Times of Israel (édition française), « Les immigrés musulmans refusant de reconnaître la responsabilité allemande dans la Shoah « doivent quitter notre pays » – Merz », 7 novembre 2026, https://fr.timesofisrael.com/les-immigres-musulmans-refusant-de-reconnaitre-la-responsabilite-allemande-dans-la-shoah-doivent-quitter-notre-pays-merz/
5. Times of Israel (édition française), « Des synagogues du monde entier allumées pour commémorer la Nuit de Cristal », 9 novembre 2026, https://fr.timesofisrael.com/des-synagogues-du-monde-entier-allumees-pour-commemorer-la-nuit-de-cristal/
6. UN News, « Beyond the broken glass: The human cost of the 1938 November Pogrom », 8 novembre 2026, https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/11/1168756
7. Jerusalem Post, « Global mayors mark Kristallnacht in Jerusalem as Huckabee urges them to counter misinformation », 9 novembre 2026, https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-914297
8. Sénat, dossier législatif « Cohésion républicaine par la lutte contre le racisme et l'antisémitisme », texte n° 890 (2025-2026), page mise à jour le 9 novembre 2026, https://www.senat.fr/dossier-legislatif/pjl25-890.html
9. franceinfo, « Projet de loi contre le racisme et l'antisémitisme : "Si l'Assemblée nationale et le Sénat arrivent à voter d'une même voix ce texte", ce sera "un signal utile de concorde pour le pays", défend la ministre Aurore Bergé », 17 juillet 2026, https://www.franceinfo.fr/societe/antisemitisme/projet-de-loi-contre-le-racisme-et-l-antisemitisme-si-l-assemblee-nationale-et-le-senat-arrivent-a-voter-d-une-meme-voix-ce-texte-ce-sera-un-signal-utile-de-concorde-pour-le-pays-defend-la-ministre-aurore-berge_8111282.html
10. Times of Israel (édition française), d'après Libération, « Une société dirigée par Marie-Caroline Le Pen a vendu des disques nazis et antisémites », 8 novembre 2026, https://fr.timesofisrael.com/une-societe-dirigee-par-marie-caroline-le-pen-a-vendu-des-disques-nazis-et-antisemites/
11. RIAS, Antisemitische Vorfälle in Deutschland 2025, bilan annuel publié en juin 2026, https://report-antisemitism.de/documents/17-06-26_RIAS_Bund_Jahresbericht_2025.pdf
12. Freundeskreis Yad Vashem, appel à la commémoration « Spread the Light », novembre 2026, https://www.yad-vashem.de/post/spread-the-light-initiative-zum-gedenken-an-das-novemberpogrom

The story in 30 seconds

Read the main facts at a glance and share the link.

1. Katharina von Schnurbein took office as Germany’s federal commissioner on 28 October. RIAS recorded a record 8,725 antisemitic incidents in 2025.
2. On 5 November, European and US police chiefs met at Berlin’s New Synagogue to hear George Shefi, 94, a survivor of the 1938 pogrom.
3. As of 9 November, France’s bill to combat racism and antisemitism is on the Senate agenda for 15 and 16 December.

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