Germany’s new antisemitism commissioner takes office

Katharina von Schnurbein took office on Wednesday as Germany’s federal commissioner for Jewish life and the fight against antisemitism, succeeding Felix Klein. The German Interior Ministry announced her appointment on Oct. 14.

Von Schnurbein, who had served as the European Commission’s coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life since 2015, said in the announcement that she approached her new role “with great respect, humility, but also the necessary determination to shape the future.”

Reflecting on the third anniversary of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, she said many Jews no longer felt safe on the streets, at universities or in schools, and were concealing their Jewish identity.

“We must resolutely combat antisemitism directed specifically against Jews at all times,” she said. “But antisemitism, particularly as a closed worldview, also undermines the fundamental principles of our free and democratic society.”

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described von Schnurbein as a proven expert with strong ties to the Jewish community. “Jewish life belongs to Germany. We protect it, we strengthen it, and we resolutely defend it against all forms of antisemitism,” he said.

Before taking up her European Commission antisemitism role, von Schnurbein advised then-Commission President José Manuel Barroso on dialogue with religious and nonreligious communities and served as a commission spokeswoman on employment, social affairs and equal opportunities.

Rabbi Menachem Margolin welcomed her arrival in the German post on Wednesday. “Few people know Europe’s Jewish communities as well as she does, and few moments have needed that experience more,” he wrote on X. “We look forward to working together.”

Congratulations to @kschnurbein on taking office today as Germany’s Federal Commissioner for Jewish Life and the Fight against Antisemitism. Few people know Europe’s Jewish communities as well as she does, and few moments have needed that experience more. We look forward to…

— Rabbi Menachem Margolin (@MargolinRabbi) October 28, 2026

The Anti-Defamation League congratulated von Schnurbein on her appointment on Oct. 14, thanking her for “all her contributions to protecting and fostering Jewish life throughout Europe” and saying it looked forward to continuing their cooperation.

She takes office amid record levels of antisemitic incident in Germany. The monitoring organization RIAS documented 8,725 incidents in 2025, up from 8,627 in 2024 and more than triple the 2,480 recorded in 2022. The 2025 tally included 178 assaults and 257 cases involving threats; Israel-related antisemitism accounted for 68% of incidents.