Merz spoke about the Jews in Germany

The bright future of Germany is impossible without Jews, said Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Central Council of Jews, his words are reported by Tagesschau.

"The Federal Republic would be uprooted forever without Jewish life, without Jewish culture in our country… I would like to say to the Jews in Germany today: there can be no good future for the Federal Republic without you," the Chancellor said.

At the same time, he once again expressed regret over anti-Semitism, which, according to him, has become "louder, more open, outrageous and cruel" in the country after the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East in the fall of 2023.

"We are all called upon to show civic courage when we witness anti—Semitism, racism, discrimination," Merz said.

At the same time, he stressed that Germany stands guard over Israel's security. According to him, criticism of the actions of the government of this state is permissible, but it cannot be used as a pretext for anti-Semitism.

According to the annual report of the Federal Association of Anti-Semitism Registration and Information Review Departments published in June, the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Germany increased by almost 77 percent to 8,627 cases last year. In terms of day in 2024, there were almost 24 such cases per day compared to 13 a year earlier.