Strategic Alliances and Rhetorical Pivots: The Dangers of Germany’s Contemporary Approach to Jewish History

Abstract

This article examines how two central tenets of German political life—a longstanding alliance with Israel and a firmly implanted culture of historical remembrance—have in recent years been manipulated by the state and by far-right nationalists to meet foreign policy goals at the expense of democratic freedoms. This shift is characterized by state censorship of academics and artists who seek to portray Jewish life as pluralistic and politically diverse. It is marked by extremist discourse that pits Christians and Jews as part of a culture war with Muslims. It is not solely a political or partisan problem, but has taken hold in the cultural and educational sectors, endangering the careers of educators, museum professionals, and creatives. It has even captivated a small minority of German Jews, who are fortified by the caustic rhetoric of anti-Islam politicians. Jewish history is at the heart of this conversation. 

The politicization of antisemitism is an increasingly global phenomenon. From Europe to the U.S., right-wing politicians are using Israel and Jewish voters as political tools to prop up foreign policy projects and win domestic culture wars. While the security of Israel and the future of the Jewish people matter deeply to voters across the political spectrum in Germany, we must be attentive to the ways in which far-right parties and complicit governments are co-opting these fears to drive forward illiberal agendas. With an eye towards the future, this paper imparts the risks of promoting ethnonationalism and censorship as a solution to the problems facing Jewish populations.