Merkel Laments Rise of Antisemitism in Germany, Says Jewish Institutions Must Be Protected

German Chancellor Angela Merkel lamented the rise of antisemitism in Germany in a CNN interview to be broadcast on Tuesday.

Germany, she said, had “always had a certain number of anti-Semites among us, unfortunately.”

Admitting to the severity of the situation, Merkel pointed out, “There is to this day not a single synagogue, not a single daycare center for Jewish children, not a single school for Jewish children that does not need to be guarded by German policemen.”

Merkel spoke of dark forces on the rise in Europe, saying, “In Germany, obviously, they always have to be seen in a certain context, in the context of our past, which means we have to be that much more vigilant than others.”

“We have to tell our young people what history has brought over us and others,” she said.

Addressing the rise of populist forces in Europe, Merkel asserted that it needed to be made clear “why we are for democracy, why we try to bring about solutions, why we always have to put ourselves into the other person’s shoes, why we stand-up against intolerance, why we show no tolerance towards violations of human rights.”

Last weekend, Felix Klein, Germany’s top official on fighting antisemitism, suggested that Jews should limit the wearing of kippahs in public.