Antisemitism Warnings Echo Through Berlin After Far-Left Election Win

Cries of antisemitism are growing in Germany after recent electoral gains by the far-right Alternative for Germany party, but some Jewish leaders are warning that similar offenses by the far-left are being ignored.Die Linke, also known as the Left Party, picked up the largest number of votes in Sunday’s state election at Berlin. The party’s lead candidate, Elif Eralp, is seeking to form a coalition government with the Greens and the Social Democrats that would allow her to become mayor. If Ms. Eralp is successful, it would be the first time the Left Party would lead Berlin, home to an estimated 40,000 Jews.Ms. Eralp, who may become the first mayor of Turkish descent at Berlin, centered her message on housing affordability. The party used New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s successful campaign as a blueprint, sending a delegation to New York last year to study Mr. Mamdani’s successful techniques. The democratic socialist Left Party was founded in 2007 and is a direct descendant of the former Communist Party of East Germany. It holds 64 out of 630 seats in the federal Bundestag and has an estimated 123,000 registered members.Israel’s ambassador at Berlin, Ron Prosor, says members of the Left Party display “uninhibited antisemitism.” He warns that far-left extremism can’t be ignored. “The strong showing by Die Linke in the Berlin election must unsettle everyone who cares deeply about the continued existence of Jewish life in this city,” Mr. Prosor wrote on X.Mr. Prosor says leaders of the party need to undertake an unflinching self-examination. “It must present a concrete plan for how it will stop and combat at its roots the hatred of Israel and Jews within its own ranks,” Mr. Prosor said.The Berlin branch of the Left Party rejected the antisemitism accusations. “Israel’s right to exist and the protection of Jewish life are clear positions of the Left Party. And that is precisely what we will stand for,” state party chairwoman Kerstin Wolter told German news outlet Die Zeit.Longstanding examples, however, of an antisemitic faction in the Left Party date back at least to 2010. The party’s failure to provide a strong position on antisemitism after the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people in Israel also contributes to concerns about its prevailing posture.In 2025, the federal party rejected the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism in favor of the 2021 Jerusalem Declaration, signed by a group of academics which critics say gives anti-Israel radicals cover to call for boycotting Israel or criticizing Zionism as not inherently antisemitic. The party’s leadership has also labeled Israel’s actions in Gaza “genocide.”In March, the Lower Saxony branch of the party passed a resolution condemning Israel. In August, the rapper Dahabflex performed at a Left Party rally and sang his song “Stop the Genocide” that included lyrics like “Death to the IDF” and “Yalla Yalla Intifada.”In the days leading up to Sunday’s election, a member of the party’s local youth chapter distributed “Organize classwar” stickers to students featuring the popular “Hello Kitty” cartoon character holding an AK-47 and Palestinian flag.On Sunday, Ibrahim Ibrahim, an anti-Israel activist described as a supporter of armed Palestinian militants, was photographed with the Left Party Bundestag member Ferat Koçak at the party’s victory celebration at Berlin.“Celebrating violence and terrorism is absolutely unacceptable,” Ms. Eralp told the AFP news agency on Monday. “I will do everything to ensure that Jewish people — just like Muslims, queer people, and everyone in our city — can feel safe.”The Social Democrats co-leader, Baerbel Bas was critical of the party and said it would be “very difficult” to form a coalition with a party “large parts of which act in an antisemitic way.” The Greens have raised their own concerns, saying allegations of antisemitism must be addressed before any partnership with the Left Party can work.The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, said other parties should rule out any cooperation. He claims the Left Party has repeatedly “crossed the line with antisemitic remarks during the election campaign.”German Chancellor Friedrich Merz did not mention the Left Party specifically but Monday warned of growing antisemitism in Germany — and specifically Berlin — in addressing his Christian Democratic Union losses in state elections. “The fact that Jewish people are no longer safe in Germany is the heaviest burden of recent years,” Mr. Merz said.

Antisemitism Warnings Echo Through Berlin After Far-Left Election Win

Antisemitism Warnings Echo Through Berlin After Far-Left Election Win

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