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Antisemitic Reactions to October 7: The German Case
Author(s): Gruber, Julius; Loy, Bianca; Poensgen, Daniel
Editor(s): Freedman, Rosa; Hirsh, David
Date: 2024
Topics: Antisemitism: Monitoring, Hate crime, Main Topic: Antisemitism, October 7 2023 attacks + aftermath, Violence
Abstract: October 7 marked the beginning of an antisemitic dynamic in Germany: By mid-November, civil society reporting offices working with the method developed by RIAS had documented a total of 994 antisemitic incidents in the context of the Hamas massacres and the war in Israel and Gaza for the period from October 7 to November 9, 2023. This equates to 29 incidents per day. The incidents include three cases of extreme violence that could potentially be deadly. The chapter deploys the concept of opportunity structures to describe this dynamic. In this sense, the widespread violence perpetrated by Hamas in Israel establishes a framework that also favours the occurrence of antisemitic incidents in Germany. Opportunity structures such as social structures, political-cultural reservoirs, public debates, situational factors and others are not the reason for antisemitism but provide antisemites with the framework to act antisemitically. Taking into account the perspective of those affected by these antisemitic incidents, the chapter states that for Jews in Germany, October 7 represents a turning point that further intensifies the feeling of threat and isolation in German society.