Israeli Foreign Minister Saar Meets German Commissioner on Rising Antisemitism in Europe

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar met with Katerina von Schnorbein, the German government commissioner for Jewish life and the fight against anti-Semitism, and congratulated her on taking office. In a post on his X account, Saar described her as a friend of Israel and the Jewish people who had led important steps during her tenure as European Commissioner for Combating Anti-Semitism. He said she had expressed her appreciation for the case in Brussels.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the two discussed the wave of anti-Semitism sweeping Europe and the world, and what it described as “the new anti-Semitism embodied in the delegitimization and demonization of Israel.” Saar said Israel sees the German leadership as a partner and looks forward to continued cooperation with it in the fight against hatred.

The German government approved von Schnorbein’s appointment on October 14, and she took office on October 28. She replaced Felix Klein, who had served as the first commissioner since the position was established in 2018 and retired at the end of August. Before this role, von Schnorbein had served as coordinator of the European Commission for the Elimination of Anti-Semitism. German Interior Minister Alexander Dubrindt, cited in the source, called her “a proven expert in the field” at the time of her appointment.

During her time in Brussels, von Schnorbein was attacked by members of the European Parliament from left-wing factions, who demanded her ouster. The source reports that the demand followed an EU debate over sanctions against Israel, in which, it says, German diplomacy was warned that hostile policies toward the Jewish state were increasing anti-Semitism on the continent. EU leaders and major European Jewish organizations backed her. Standing by a person under such pressure reflects the principle of hearing the full matter before judging it (Proverbs 18:17).

In an interview with the German newspaper Rheinische Post after taking office in Berlin, von Schnorbein said that Germany had reached a point it had probably not reached since the Holocaust, and that those who make anti-Semitic statements no longer fear consequences. She also said that anti-Zionism is the most common form of anti-Semitism. She added that extremist, Islamist, left-wing and right-wing fringes agree on very few things but agree on hatred of Israel and the Jews.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Hebrew)